Bolivia secures Classical Swine Fever-free status for Santa Cruz swine production zone
Pork production in Bolivia has risen by nearly 78% since 2007, according to official data.
BOLIVIA – Bolivia has obtained international recognition as a Classical Swine Fever (CSF)-free zone without vaccination in the department of Santa Cruz after the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) approved the designation at its 93rd General Session in Paris.
The recognition applies to Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s largest pork-producing department, and follows a recommendation from WOAH’s Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases, which reviewed technical information submitted by the Bolivian authorities.
According to the certificate issued on 22 May 2026, the designated area complies with the standards set out in the 2025 Terrestrial Animal Health Code, thereby allowing Santa Cruz to be officially listed as a CSF-free zone without vaccination.
Disease monitoring requirements
Under the terms of the recognition, Bolivia must continue disease surveillance within the approved zone, report any suspected or confirmed CSF cases without delay, and provide annual confirmation that the area’s animal health status remains unchanged.
The designation comes as Bolivia continues to record long-term growth in pork production, with data from the National Institute of Statistics showing national output increased from 76,380 tonnes in 2007 to 135,959 tonnes in 2024, representing growth of almost 78%.
The country’s pork industry exceeded 100,000 tonnes of annual production for the first time in 2016, then experienced a temporary decline during the Covid-19 pandemic, when output fell from 119,198 tonnes in 2019 to 115,406 tonnes in 2020.
Production recovered in the years that followed, rising from 122,863 tonnes in 2022 to 135,959 tonnes in 2024, reflecting a 10.7% increase over the two-year period.
Santa Cruz leads production
Santa Cruz remained the country’s leading pork-producing department in 2024, recording 54,007 tonnes and accounting for almost 40% of Bolivia’s total pork output, according to official statistics released by the National Institute of Statistics.
Meanwhile, other producing regions also reported higher output, with La Paz recording the strongest growth in recent years, nearly doubling production since 2016 to a record 27,472 tonnes in 2024.
Chuquisaca ranked as Bolivia’s third-largest pork-producing department, with 20,917 tonnes last year, while Cochabamba and Tarija continued to post gradual production increases over the same period.
Official figures show that Santa Cruz, La Paz and Chuquisaca together produced about 102,400 tonnes of pork in 2024, accounting for approximately 75% of Bolivia’s total national production.
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