The African swine fever has now also attacked domestic pigs in Germany for the first time.
It is surprising that this did not happen earlier.
After all, the animal disease has been on German soil for almost a year and has since killed more than 1200 wild boars.
The infiltration of the disease into the stables - apart from the farms affected - does not have any direct consequences for the pig farmers.
In view of the rapidly established protection and observation zones, the virus is unlikely to spread to other farms.
But with all caution, this first outbreak will not be the last.
Farmers are already struggling with export restrictions that are sending prices down.
If images of dead animals flicker more and more on the screen, it spoils the appetite of domestic consumers - even if swine fever is completely harmless to humans.
Poultry farmers, whose sales fell by a fifth in 2006 as a result of avian influenza, had to experience this.