Estonia to feed Ukraine with meat from wild boars culled due to swine fever: humanitarian aid or desperate measure?

Estonia’s Minister of Regional Development and Agriculture, Hendrik Terras, has proposed an unusual method to combat African Swine Fever (ASF): processing meat from culled wild boars into canned food and sending it to Ukraine as humanitarian aid.

According to him, the plan involves purchasing 30% of the carcasses from hunters in order to produce up to half a million cans of meat.

“To stop the virus, we need to cull a set number of boars. I propose buying 30% of them from hunters and using this meat to meet the needs of the Estonian Defence Forces and for humanitarian aid to Ukraine,” Terras stated.

The ASF situation in the country remains concerning. According to ERR, the virus has spread throughout Estonia, over 17,000 domestic pigs have been culled, and 67 cases of infection have been confirmed in wild boars.

However, the initiative is already raising questions among parts of the public — both regarding the safety of processing meat from potentially infected animals and in terms of priorities: amid rising prices and pressure on agriculture, state resources are once again being directed abroad.