Pig industry Moldova warns of collapse amid delayed ASF compensation
Moldova’s pig sector is facing growing uncertainty as delays in compensation payments linked to African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks continue to undermine farmer confidence and stall investment plans, according to a farmers’ organisation.
Pig farmers in Moldova are still waiting for the subsidies promised after major ASF outbreaks in 2025, when roughly 118,000 pigs were culled at 2 of the country’s largest pig farms. Industry estimates put total losses at more than MDL 440 million ($25 million).
Payments have been delayed because the compensation process became entangled in court proceedings and institutional disputes. Moldova’s Ministry of Agriculture has stated that final compensation amounts cannot be determined until investigations and judicial procedures have been completed. The National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) also challenged in court some of the damage assessment certificates that had initially been issued for affected farms, further slowing the process.
‘Nobody will invest anymore’
According to Andrian Burduja, president of the Association of Pork Producers of Moldova, there has been no progress on the payment issue despite government promises to compensate farmers affected by disease outbreaks. “The industry will disappear if compensation is not paid,” Burduja said, warning that legal and administrative procedures offer no clear timeline for reimbursement of losses.
Moldovan authorities have been working on amendments to allow faster compensation for farmers affected by ASF. A draft law has already been submitted to parliament, but it has not yet been approved.
Industry representatives say the lack of financial predictability has become one of the main obstacles preventing new investment in pig production, even as some farms attempt to restore operations after previous ASF outbreaks.
“The problem is that if another outbreak occurs and compensation is again not paid, nobody will invest anymore,” Burduja explained. “Farmers cannot control what happens outside the farm environment, and without state guarantees, there is a real risk that producers will simply abandon the sector.”
ASF remains a threat
Alongside economic pressure, Moldovan farmers warn that ASF is here to stay. Burduja noted that ASF trends remain a major concern for the pig industry, as periods with high outbreak numbers are often followed by weeks with few or no reported cases.
During the hunting season, the number of infected wild boars found increased significantly. Since the season ended, no new outbreaks have been reported for some time, although Burduja admitted that the risk from ASF likely remains.
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