Cape Verde allocates 400,000 euros to contain African swine fever outbreak
The government of Cape Verde has committed €400,000 to emergency measures aimed at curbing an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) on Boa Vista island. The viral disease, which is lethal to pigs but not harmful to humans, poses a serious economic risk due to its impact on pork production, a major component of local agriculture and food security.
A resolution issued by the Council of Ministers confirmed that approximately 47% of pork produced on Boa Vista is sold, making the ASF outbreak a direct threat to both food supply and the livelihoods of pig farmers. In response, authorities have launched a multi-pronged containment strategy designed to halt the spread of the virus.
The new measures outlined to curb this outbreak include the construction of a municipal pigsty, sanitary slaughter, quarantine procedures, epidemiological surveillance, and improvements in biosecurity.
“In response to this emergency situation, the government understands that it is necessary to reinforce investments with additional measures, which include quarantine, sanitary slaughter, epidemiological surveillance, and biosafety,” reads the Council of Ministers resolution.
Authorities have cited poor hygiene practices and the lack of biosecurity measures as ongoing contributors to repeated outbreaks over the past six decades.
African swine fever was first detected in Cape Verde in 1966 on the islands of Santiago and Maio. It later spread to the island of Fogo in 2011 and Boa Vista in 2015, where it has caused intermittent outbreaks since.
The current outbreak on Boa Vista was confirmed in February 2025.
