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The virus spreads rapidly among pigs and wild boar
Joan Faus,Emma PinedoWednesday 03 December 2025 16:47 GMTComments
CloseSpain Declares Alert Over African Swine Fever Outbreak
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Catalonia has announced plans to intensify its wild boar culling efforts following the detection of African swine fever (ASF) in several animals near Barcelona.
This marks Spain's first outbreak of the disease since 1994, posing a significant threat to the nation's vital pork export industry.
The highly contagious virus was initially identified last week in two wild boars within the Collserola mountain range, just outside the Catalan capital.
Since then, seven additional boars in the same area have been confirmed to have succumbed to the disease, with Spanish officials anticipating further positive cases.
Spain stands as the European Union's leading pork producer, accounting for a quarter of the bloc's output, with annual exports valued at approximately €3.5 billion.
While harmless to humans, ASF spreads rapidly among pigs and wild boar, though no commercial farms have been affected to date.
open image in galleryPeople buy food in front of Spanish Bellota ham hanging at a "Mercado de Abastos" (food market) in Barcelona, Spain (REUTERS)Catalan regional leader Salvador Illa said that local authorities had already been working to reduce the wild boar population due to public health concerns. However, he emphasised that the recent outbreak underscores the urgent need to accelerate these efforts.
"There are too many wild boars," Mr Illa told reporters late on Tuesday from Mexico, where he is on an official visit.
"We have activated and intensified this task, contacting all hunting associations and looking at technically acceptable and proven methods to do so."
Boar overpopulation
Farm association COAG said on Wednesday that Spain's wild boar population has grown by 550 per cent in 30 years due to a lack of effective control measures.
There are about 1,000 wild boars in the Collserola mountain range, with 9.2 boars per square km, down from 17.4 in 2021-22 when the population soared following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data compiled by Catalan public TV.
That reduction was achieved in part through culls, along with other measures.
open image in gallerySpain stands as the European Union's leading pork producer, accounting for a quarter of the bloc's output, with annual exports valued at approximately €3.5 billion (REUTERS)Officials suspect the virus may have spread after a wild boar ate contaminated food, possibly a sandwich brought from outside Spain by a truck driver who may have stopped at a gas station near the outbreak's area.
"We have the most biosecure farms in Europe ... but we are paying the price for a wild boar that ate a sandwich," COAG official Jaume Bernis said.
The Spanish government has said it has intensified efforts to maintain international buyers' confidence, working to secure export certificates following the outbreak.
While China and Britain have agreed to continue allowing pork exports from unaffected regions, Spain is still negotiating similar terms with Canada.
Agriculture Minister Luis Planas told reporters on Tuesday he would fight "certificate by certificate, country by country" to get exports resumed.
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