At a press conference last Saturday, the Minister of Agriculture reported on the ASF situation in Spain and how the Ministry is working to minimize the trade consequences of the outbreak.

Spain exports approximately €8.8 billion worth of pork products annually to 104 countries, of which €5.1 billion (58%) are destined for the European Union. The Minister emphasized that exports to the EU remain unaffected, except within the 20-km radius around the locations where the two wild boars tested positive, from which exports are prohibited.

Third-country exports total €3.7 billion, of which €1.1 billion corresponds to the Chinese market. Of the 104 countries, 44 require specific sanitary measures for ASF, of which 24 recognize regionalization and 20 do not.

Among the main destinations, countries such as China, the Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Serbia recognize regionalization, which limits the trade impact. In the case of China, regionalization is at the provincial level; in the other countries, the type of geographical delimitation depends on each agreement signed and must be negotiated individually by the Ministry. However, other important markets such as Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Mexico do not accept regionalization.

Currently, around a third of the 400 export certificates are temporarily blocked. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) is working with trade offices and agricultural advisors to reopen markets and minimize economic losses.

The minister highlighted the strategic importance of the Spanish pork sector to the economy, as it represents 40% of total livestock production and 17% of total agricultural production. Spain is the leading pork producer in the EU and the third largest in the world, with 44,500 farms and an annual production of 4.9 million tons, of which approximately 2.7 million tons are exported (1.2 million tons outside the EU and 1.5 million tons within the EU).

Following official confirmation on November 28 of the first two cases of African swine fever (ASF) in Spain in two wild boars found dead in the province of Barcelona, ​​the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food of the Government of Catalonia immediately activated exceptional control, prevention, and biosecurity measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

On the morning of November 29, the Minister of Agriculture of the Catalan Government confirmed in an interview the detection of four new suspected cases in wild boars found dead in the same area, pending confirmation by the reference laboratory. According to the Catalan Minister, this rapid discovery confirms that the containment measures are working. The official confirmation of these cases would not affect the containment plan established.

The Catalan Department of Agriculture reported on November 30 that all 39 pig farms located within the surveillance zone established around the outbreak of ASF have tested negative.

Containment plan

Closure of the 6-km radius and prohibition of activities in the natural environment

In the area closest to the detection point (radius of 6 km), which includes 12 municipalities (Sabadell, Sant Quirze del Vallès, Polinyà, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Montcada i Reixac, Ripollet, Barberà del Vallès, Badia del Vallès, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Terrassa, and Rubí), the following has been ordered:

• Complete closure of access to the natural environment.
• Suspension of all hunting and forestry work.
• Prohibition of all activities in rural areas for biosecurity reasons.
• Installation of physical and chemical barriers, as well as traps for wild boar control.
• Activation of joint operations with Rural Agents, Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan Police), SEPRONA (Nature Protection Service), and Department technicians.

To reinforce the operation and ensure the containment of the outbreak, the Catalan Government has requested the support of the Game Control Unit of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which will join the teams already deployed in the area.

Restrictions within a 20 km radius

In a second 20-km security perimeter, which includes 64 municipalities, specific restrictions apply:

• Restrictions on leisure activities, hunting, and biodiversity-related activities.
• Prohibition of any actions that may interfere with population control and biosecurity measures.

Access to the entire Collserola Park is restricted for leisure activities.

The following recommendations are made to citizens and municipalities:

• Increase the frequency of cleaning trash cans and containers.
• Place cat feeders in elevated locations.
• Inform the public that feeding wild boars is prohibited.
• Close picnic areas until further notice.
• Call 112 if you find a dead wild boar and do not touch it.

For more information about the disease, visit our special section on African swine fever, where you will find the latest related news, how to recognize the disease, how it is transmitted, images of lesions, and more.

The official veterinary services of Catalonia have notified the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food of the detection of two wild boar positive for the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus in Bellaterra (Barcelona), where they were found dead on November 26. These positive cases, confirmed by the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Algete (Madrid), represent the first detection of the disease in Spain since November 1994. The two wild boar carcasses detected were approximately 1 km apart.

The ASF operational manual has been activated, which includes the delimitation of the infected zone, active search and removal of wild boar carcasses under official control, hunting bans in the area to prevent the movement of wild boar to ASF-free areas, restrictions on non-essential activities, strengthening passive surveillance, and biosecurity measures at pig farms, with official visits to the farms, among other actions.

The area includes moderately dense forested areas, with a moderate density of wild boars, residential areas, regional roads, and several highways and motorways surrounding the area (see map). Within a 10 km radius, there are 5 commercial pig farms, the nearest being more than 5 km away from the location where the positive wild boars were found, and within a 10 to 20 km radius, there are a total of 34 production and breeding farms. Surveillance and biosecurity control in the entire area have been reinforced. Investigations into the possible origin of the disease are ongoing.

In this regard, the ministry is urging the industry to implement all necessary biosecurity and surveillance measures in pig farms and wild boars, as well as during animal transport. It is also a reminder of the obligation to report any suspicions to the official services of the autonomous communities, both in wild boars and in pig farms throughout the country.

As mentioned, this is the first detection of ASF in Spain since November 1994, losing its ASF-free status before the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), a status that had been achieved in 1995. It is worth noting that ASF has been present in the European Union since it entered the Baltic countries and Poland from Russia in 2014, with wild boar populations and, in some cases, domestic pig farms currently affected in 13 countries (Italy, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia). Since the disease entered the EU, Belgium, Sweden, and the Czech Republic have successfully eradicated it by applying strict control and surveillance measures on wild boar populations after a sporadic long-distance leap, as has been the case detected in Spain.

For more information on the disease, you can visit our special ASF section, where you will find, in addition to the latest related news, how to recognize the disease, how it is transmitted, images of lesions, and more.