Spain has recorded its first case of African swine fever (ASF) since 1994 – the virus was detected in two wild boars found dead near Barcelona. This was reported by the Ministry of Agriculture, emphasizing that the incident could jeopardize rapidly growing pork exports to China. This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
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The outbreak occurred just as Madrid is trying to strengthen its position in the Chinese market. At the same time, the situation may be controllable: a recent agreement between China and Spain provides for the introduction of possible restrictions only on the affected region, and not on the entire country. Catalonia, where the infected boars were found, accounts for about 8% of national pig production.
Spain is the largest pork producer in the EU and exports products worth about 3.5 billion euros annually. Therefore, even a local incident has significant economic importance.
This is not the best news. The European market is already experiencing difficulties after a 20% price drop since July... There is a risk of an embargo against the largest pork exporter from the EU, particularly in Asia and, in particular, in China
The farmers' association Asaja noted that the industry is well prepared for such challenges but called on the authorities to strengthen control over wild animal populations.
We have modernized farms for years, strengthened biosecurity, and made our operations among the most advanced in the world
The industry group Interporc reported that they are cooperating with the Catalan and central authorities, and a 20-kilometer surveillance zone has already been established around the incident site. The organization emphasized that this step demonstrates the high level of veterinary control operating in Spain.