An outbreak in Latvia spread this month to Estonia, which has a large wild boar population that needs to be kept far away from domestic pig farming stock.

Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, Terras also said that biosecurity is an important aspect of livestock farming in Estonia, to the extent that he plans to apply for a similar support round for combating ASF to that deployed in spring during the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

While ASF is not a new phenomenon in Estonia, the recent outbreaks are particularly notable.

"This disease has been present here for over 10 years. At present, it is spreading with high intensity – mostly in border areas, as wild boar come in from Latvia fleeing the disease zones," he said.

Terras said he would be submitting a raft of proposals to the government to contain the spread of swine fever and compensate for the damages.

The government will compensate the damage from culled pigs based on the average value of a pork carcass. "It is important that pig farming and the industry do not collapse due to the disease's spread," Terras said. "Pork is a popular and important source of protein in Estonia," he added

.The second aspect of the package, Terras said, concerns strengthening biosecurity measures and supporting hunters. "To halt the virus, it is important that the hunting quota of wild boar is fully met. Past experience shows that when the wild boar population decreases, the disease recedes."

Much of the ASF blight has hit farms in central and southern Estonia, so far, but with high wild boar populations elsewhere, a holistic approach is needed.

"In addition to Estonia's southern border, we must also take a closer look at Saaremaa, where the wild boar population is extremely high. It is important that wild boars do not get close to farms. These areas must be kept clear," he went on.

Terras highlighted that ASF is a dangerous disease with major economic impact, noting that while not dangerous to humans, it can be spread by not only human contact but also animal contact – from as small a scale as flies up to larger livestock – as well as via equipment used in agriculture.

"The disease is not contagious to humans, but humans, flies, other wild animals, and equipment spread it. In the past month, various outbreaks have been diagnosed, and 17,000 pigs have been culled. The most recent case was from Tuesday," Terras added.

The minister also proposed amending the nationwide Rural Development Plan to support hunters' buying freezers, to store meat and hunt it locally, as another way of containing the disease.

Terras put the ideal boar population density in Estonia at two per square kilometer, compared with the current figure of three, meaning the boar population should be reduced by one-third.

An additional complication comes from EU regulations, he said, which prohibit the handling of raw wild boar meat.

"We will go to the EU to request an exemption," Terras said. "Proposals have been made to handle it raw and use it for animal feed. The exemption would provide a long-term solution."

Farming entrepreneur: There is no support for the industry

Meelis Laande, CEO of Atria Estonia, one of Estonia's largest pork producers,

said that laws determine how farms are compensated for their losses, but the question of the processing industry remains open.

"The processing industry has to destroy a large amount of raw material according to disease control rules, but that is not compensated for. This should also be taken into consideration, as the industry also participates in combating the disease," Laande said.

The most important act is to keep wild boars well away from pig farms, he noted.

Terras said the state will start buying up hunted wild boar for food preparation, which could be used to make field rations for the Estonian Defense Forces and for Ukraine.

"I propose to buy up 30 percent of the hunted wild boar meat to produce half a million cans and use them to feed the defense forces and send as state food aid to Ukraine," said Terras, noting this meat would come from boar not infected with ASF.

Head of the Veterinary and Animal Welfare Department at the Agricultural and Food Board (PTA) Olev Kalda, said that wild boar which test positive for swine fever will be disposed of, and not used for canned meat.

Meanwhile, Terras noted that he will also form a working group to take a longer-term view on how to prevent the constant recurrence of ASF within Estonian livestock farming.

From the end of June, ASF fever was discovered on farms in Latvia and then Estonia. As of now, the outbreak has spread across Estonia, with larger farms in some cases required to slaughter entire stock of thousands of pigs.

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