African swine fever (ASF) has crossed over into Germany, Europe’s largest pork producer, the country’s agriculture minister Julia Klöckner confirmed.

The first reported case of the animal disease in Germany was found in the carcass of a dead wild boar in Brandenburg’s Spree-Neisse district, a few kilometres from the German-Polish border.

A sample of the animal was sent to Germany’s national reference laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, for verification on Wednesday.

“The suspicion has unfortunately been confirmed,” Klöckner said in a statement Thursday. “We have the first case of African swine fever in a boar.”

Germany will now lose its ASF-free status, with potential consequences for its pork exports to regions such as Asia. China is one of the world’s largest pork importers and Germany is home to around 26 million pigs.

Klöckner said that Berlin and Beijing were “in constant dialogue” about the ASF issue. “We already had contact with China [last] night,” she said.

However, negotiations with third countries took place through the European Commission, she added.

Earlier this year Klöckner warned that “a massive cull of pigs” might be needed if the disease continues to spread in Europe.

African swine fever is “not dangerous for humans,” Klöckner repeatedly stressed Thursday. But there is no therapy or vaccine for infected swine, and the disease is “almost always fatal,” she said.

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