Estonia Unveils €75M Plan to Rebuild Pig Farms After ASF Crisis
Estonia's government has received a €75 million long-term recovery plan to construct six modern reproductive pig farms, a strategic move to bolster national food security after African Swine Fever outbreaks wiped out nearly a quarter of the country's domestic pig population in 2025.
- —Estonia's government has received a long-term recovery plan for the pig farming sector, which includes the construction of six new farms with a total investment of €75 million over the coming years.
- —The plan, presented by Regional and Agriculture Minister Hendrik Johannes Terras, focuses on establishing smaller, modern reproductive farms, with investment support applications opening this year.
- —The initiative aims to bolster the sector's production capacity and strengthen national food security following outbreaks of African Swine Fever.
- —Measures to control African Swine Fever in wild boar populations, including a target of culling 19,600 wild boars in the 2025/2026 hunting season, are also part of the broader strategy.
- —In 2025, Estonia recorded 11 outbreaks of African Swine Fever, resulting in the loss of 62,000 domestic pigs, representing nearly a quarter of the country's domestic pig population.
Recap
Estonia's €75 million investment is a calculated state intervention to rebuild a critical agricultural sector from the ground up. The plan prioritizes national food security and aims to reduce import dependency by creating a more resilient and biosecure domestic pork supply chain. The focus on modern, smaller farms, coupled with aggressive wild boar population control, signals a strategic shift from reactive crisis management to a long-term model designed to withstand future disease threats.