EU accelerates vaccine development to combat complex African swine fever outbreak

The European Commission is fast-tracking efforts to develop a vaccine against African swine fever amid ongoing outbreaks across Europe, with a potential candidate expected this year and ongoing research spearheaded by the VAX4ASF project.

The European Commission is working on a fast-track effort to develop a vaccine against African swine fever, with Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi saying in Helsinki that a candidate could emerge as early as this year.

He told journalists the disease is difficult to tackle because the ASF virus is unusually complex, even as vaccine science has advanced. The Commission is now seeking partners for an accelerated development programme.

The push comes as outbreaks continue to spread across Europe, including in Romania, Croatia, Hungary, Estonia and Spain. Várhelyi said the most serious cases have been in Romania and Spain, where the vaccine issue was also raised.

A European Commission blueprint on ASF vaccine development has already mapped scientific gaps, manufacturing needs and laboratory networks, while a separate EU-funded VAX4ASF project, led by Spain’s Laboratorios Hipra, is running from January 2024 to December 2027 to develop vaccines for domestic pigs and wild boar.

In Finland, the disease has so far been detected only in dead wild boar, not on farms. Várhelyi said the Commission is working with Finnish authorities to reassure trading partners about containment measures, and expects a small veterinary team to visit later this month. Helsinki has meanwhile lifted sample-taking compensation to €500 and may fence off infected areas if necessary.