Spain, the largest exporter of pork products in the EU, has deployed soldiers, police dogs, and high-tech drones on the outskirts of Barcelona to track wild boars and contain an outbreak of swine fever. This disease, although safe for humans, poses a critical threat to the country's commercial pig farming. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
About 500 specialists, including 160 soldiers from the military emergency unit, are combing an area within a 6-kilometer radius of where the first infected animals were found. So far, nine dead boars with the fever have been found.
Consequences of swine fever for Spain
The European Commission has announced temporary restrictive measures on pig farming, covering 91 cities and towns in the province of Barcelona, although there are no commercial farms in this area.
Due to the outbreak, Mexico and Japan have already suspended purchases of Spanish pork, and about 120 export licenses have been revoked.
Fighting animal diseases
The army uses drones with thermal imagers to detect live and dead boars, and also sets up disinfection stations to prevent the spread of the disease by people and transport.
This is a very serious situation
He emphasized that the main goal is to prevent the infection from spreading north, where Spain's main pig farms are concentrated.
Experts indicate that the origin of the outbreak has not been established, but the cause could have been contaminated meat product from another country, for example, discarded by a truck driver and eaten by a boar. At the same time, the wild boar population is growing exponentially due to mild winters and the absence of predators. The Spanish authorities even offer monetary rewards to hunters who will shoot the animals.