Pork exports outside the EU blocked due to two positive cases of swine fever in wild boar in Collserola

The Catalan government confirmed two positive cases of African swine fever (ASF) on Friday in two wild boars found dead this week in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Vallès Occidental), and has activated its contingency plan against the disease, according to a statement from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The plan's measures include an immediate ban on pork exports outside the EU. ASF is a disease that does not affect human health (neither through contact nor consumption of meat), but it is highly contagious between wild boars and pigs, with mortality rates approaching 100%. It manifests with fever and hemorrhaging in the skin and internal organs of the animals. The last case detected in Spain was in 1994. For now, these two cases are the only ones found in Spain, so there is no evidence that it has affected any farms in Catalonia. "So far, no outbreaks have been detected in domestic animals in Catalonia," the Ministry of Agriculture stated in a press release. "The wild boars were found dead on November 25th and 26th in Cerdanyola del Vallès and, following established protocols, were collected by members of the Rural Agents Corps of the Department of the Interior and Security" and taken to the Animal Health Research Center, where they are sent to the Generalitat (Catalan Government). The same samples were sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Algete, near Madrid, where both cases were confirmed as African swine fever (ASF) infections on Thursday night. Rural agents have begun searching for more dead animals in the area where the two deceased wild boars affected by ASF were found. The disease prevention protocol requires establishing a 20-kilometer surveillance perimeter around the location where the animals were found. Livestock farms and slaughterhouses within this perimeter have restricted all movement of pigs. The affected area includes, among others, municipalities such as Mollet del Vallès, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Ripollet, Montcada i Reixac, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Polinyà, Terrassa, Sabadell, Rubí, and several neighborhoods of Barcelona, ​​as well as the entire Collserola Natural Park. Furthermore, all pork exports to countries outside the EU are restricted. Pork exports are one of the pillars of the agri-food industry in Catalonia and last year represented 19% of total Catalan food and beverage exports. Three different epidemics affecting the livestock sector

The livestock sector in Spain is currently affected by three epidemics, two of which have cases detected in Catalonia. African swine fever (ASF), which impacts the pig sector, is the latest, following... contagious nodular dermatosis which last month forced the culling of hundreds of cows on farms in Alt Empordà and the establishment of a 50-kilometer security perimeter in Catalonia and Northern Catalonia.

In addition, the livestock industry has also been affected by avian flu, which has forced confine in enclosed spaces The chickens raised in open spaces on all farms in the state have been affected. However, avian flu has not affected any Catalan farms, as the outbreak was located in Castile and León.

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