The farm Agro Coop in western Slovakia's Klátova Nová Ves slaughtered its entire herd of 612 pigs on July 3 after reporting an outbreak of swine fever, a highly infectious pig disease which is transmitted by direct contact. The slaughter was ordered by the Regional Veterinary Administration in Prievidza, which also ordered vaccination against swine fever for pigs in farms in neighbouring villages.
The last time swine fever appeared in Slovakia was last August, when the disease was detected in the district of Rimavská Sobota. The largest spread of swine fever came at the end of the 1990s, when tens of thousands of pigs had to be killed.
