Overview
- The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut confirmed African swine fever in a dead wild boar piglet found on February 26 in Störmecke near Schmallenberg, with no additional positives nearby reported that day.
- The discovery lies inside the existing Sperrzone II that already covers parts of the districts of Olpe, Siegen-Wittgenstein and Hochsauerlandkreis.
- Search operations are underway using state cadaver-search dog teams, local response units and drones to locate further carcasses.
- Authorities are assessing potential adjustments to restriction zones in North Rhine-Westphalia, while Hesse’s Waldeck‑Frankenberg introduced new Zone II and Zone I areas as a precaution.
- Agriculture minister Silke Gorißen urged coordinated, targeted wild boar culling, and officials called for immediate reporting of any carcasses with recovery handled exclusively by authorities.