Spain Records 1st Swine Fever Case in 3 Decades

Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture announced on Friday that African swine fever has returned to the country for the first time in 30 years.

Two dead wild boars found near Barcelona tested positive for the virus, putting Spain’s growing pork exports to China at risk of a potential ban.

This outbreak, the first since 1994, comes at a time when Spain is trying to strengthen ties with Beijing to secure a larger share of the Chinese pork market.

However, any potential ban is expected to be limited in scope, as China and Spain signed an agreement earlier this month stating that Beijing will impose restrictions only on imports from affected regions, not on all of Spain.

Barcelona is located in Catalonia, a region that accounts for around 8% of the country’s pig farms, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Spain is the largest pork producer in the European Union, responsible for roughly a quarter of the bloc’s output, surpassing Germany. 

Madrid’s annual pork exports are valued at around €3.5 billion ($4.05 billion).

The Ministry of Agriculture said it has notified the European Union, activated emergency measures in the affected area, and urged pig farms to tighten security protocols while investigators work to determine the source of the infection.

The virus, harmless to humans but deadly to pigs, has been spreading across Western Europe over the past few years.