After three decades, ASF returns to Spain

Concerns over African swine fever (ASF) have resurfaced in Spain three decades after its eradication. The discovery of several dead wild boars in the Collserola mountain range, in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, has triggered alarms and forced the activation of an unprecedented surveillance plan to stop the spread of a disease that, while harmless to humans, poses a serious threat to the swine industry —one of the pillars of Spain’s livestock sector.

The Generalitat confirmed that several wild boars were found dead in the natural park, prompting the establishment of a security perimeter and the deployment of rural agents, Mossos d’Esquadra, local police forces and, since Monday, also the Military Emergency Unit (UME), reported El Confidencial.

The situation is already having its first consequences. Taiwan has immediately suspended imports of pork and pork products from Spain. The Emergency Operations Center for ASF announced that the ban applies to any pork product, fresh or processed, arriving by sea or air. In addition, Japan and Mexico have become the first countries to fully shut their markets to Spanish pork, while the U.S., the U.K. and South Korea have opted to impose restrictions only on the affected area. China has also decided to temporarily block imports of pork from 12 companies in the province of Barcelona. The companies appear on the official platform listed as “import suspension”. Furthermore, the U.K. has halted trade of Spanish pork products since Friday.