ASF pig cull at South Estonian farm postponed again after protests resume
The slaughter of around 4,500 pigs scheduled for 7.30 a.m. Thursday morning at a Viljandi County farm which has been the focal point of protests was suspended shortly before it was due to go ahead. Authorities say a more serious African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak elsewhere in the country should take priority.
An atmosphere of anticipation prevailed in front of the Nurme pig farm gates Thursday morning. Those who had gathered in protest did not know whether culling would go ahead or not.
ERR reported slightly more demonstrators outside the farm Thursday morning than had been seen the evening before; an estimated 100 people had congregated there last Saturday, prompting the PTA to halt the slaughter until ASF test results from a lab in Spain had been received.
Minister of Agriculture and the Regions Hendrik Terras (Eesti 200) on Tuesday confirmed positive ASF results from the Spain tests, meaning the cull was back on again and set for Thursday morning.
A spokesperson for the state Agriculture and Food Board (PTA), overseeing the ASF culls in Estonia, told ERR the slaughtering at Nurme cannot go ahead at this point.
The reason came down to resources and priorities: The PTA said it will be redirecting its efforts to another farm in Põlva County, which requires swift action.
Head of PTA's southern region, Inge Saavo, said in a message sent shortly before 7 a.m. Thursday that, considering a situation where, in the southern region, around 13,200 pigs need to be culled, choices have to be made.
"The primary selection criterion is the clinical picture and animal mortality. Since ASF is a virus that is very painful for the animal and spreads quickly, it is important to first cull the animals at the Kuula pig farm [in Põlva County]," Saavo wrote.
Around 20 animals have died due to ASF at this farm so far.
The PTA also noted that only authorized persons are permitted to enter the Nurme farm territory and other declared ASF infection zones. The PTA has urged the public to remain calm and give officials space to manage outbreaks.
"Responsible behavior can reduce risks to Estonian pig farming. Traffic in the vicinity of the farm may be disrupted, and therefore we apologize for any inconvenience," the PTA said.
Around 4,500 pigs at Nurme Farm were due to be culled after the test results from Spain returned positive cases of ASF. This followed positive tests found on the last day of July by an Estonian lab, which prompted the initial slaughter order.
Concerns were raised about potential sample mix-ups with the Spanish tests, as bags reportedly passed through multiple hands before reaching the lab. No pigs at the Nurme farm have shown illness since the initial case,
Delaying culling could potentially violate EU regulations and risk sanctions from the European Commission. At the same time, Estonia risks losing all its pork exports if ASF is not contained in line with EU regulations, officials warned during a Ministry of Regional Development and Agriculture roundtable
One expert condemned the protest going ahead at Nurme farm itself given the severity of ASF outbreaks, calling it unacceptable.
Since the latest ASF outbreak cases were first detected at the end of June, over 17,000 pigs have been infected by ASF across five farms in Estonia in 2025, affecting over half the country's pig farming operations.
The outbreak could cause the potential loss of up to 33,000 piglets and 2,500–3,500 sows if gilt stations are shut down due to ASF restrictions — leading to millions in losses.
As ASF can be spread by the wild boar population, hunters have been tasked with culling at least 18,000 of these animals, with 4,400 already hunted this summer. However, ripening crops and poor visibility have hampered this, to the extent that the government has relaxed rules, including allowing unrestricted use of night vision scopes and drones. The hunting is mainly concentrated near pig farms and along the Latvian border.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
