The Catalan government opens a €50 million "urgent" credit line for farms affected by swine fever

BarcelonaThe Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food, Òscar Ordeig, maintained on Tuesday that the number of confirmed cases of African swine fever (ASF) remains at two, after the Spanish government's delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, had increased the figure to six wild boars earlier that day. Furthermore, the Catalan government announced it is preparing an aid package that will include an emergency credit line totaling 50 million euros for companies in the pork sector affected by export restrictions and farm closures. Ordeig explained that the government's Department of Economy is preparing "a package of economic support measures for the affected sector," which it will coordinate in the coming days with other aid from both the Spanish government and the European Commission. The first "extraordinary" measure, which is already operational, is a €50 million line of credit for farms and businesses affected by the outbreak to "address urgent needs," said the regional minister, who reminded businesses that require it can now apply for these loans, which are managed by the Catalan Finance Institute (ICF). In addition, the Catalan government is also preparing a plan to improve disinfection and prevention on farms in the affected area.

The outbreak of African swine fever has been a blow to the Spanish pig farming sector, but especially to the Catalan sector, since, apart from the measures to prevent the spread of the virus on farms located less than 20 kilometers from where the two infected wild boars were found, the Spanish government had to cancel all permits in accordance with international protocols to prevent the virus from spreading to other countries. However, the export ban does not affect domestic sales within the country or to any of the other 26 member states of the European Union, which together form a single market.

Once the suspension of exports was decreed, the Spanish government must now negotiate bilaterally with each country to agree on how sales of Spanish pork will resume. In some cases, countries may choose to keep the entry of pork from any part of Spain closed, but in others, regionalized bans may be agreed upon. This is the case with China, the largest market outside the EU for Catalan producers, which has imposed a ban on the entry of pork products produced in the province of Barcelona. The Catalan Minister welcomed the decision made by the Chinese authorities, as it will provide relief to many farms that were worried about a potential production surplus, which, in addition to the losses it would represent, would cause a drop in prices.

"The reopening of markets will take days, and depending on how the outbreak evolves, we will be more or less optimistic, but I cannot say how long it will last," Ordeig stated.

Confusion over the number of positive cases

Regarding the total number of detected cases, there has been a discrepancy in figures between the Catalan government (Generalitat) and the Spanish government's delegation in Catalonia. Initially, Prieto cited data from the Ministry of Agriculture to raise the total number of African swine fever (ASF) cases to six, but Ordeig later denied this figure. "I'm telling you that the Ministry of Agriculture is the one that confirms, and at the moment there are two cases," Ordeig stated at a press conference in the Palau de la Generalitat. "The Ministry will officially announce it, and at the moment I have no confirmation" of the increase in confirmed cases, the regional minister added. So far, the Ministry of Agriculture has not formally reported any new positive cases. Currently, the ASF outbreak registered in Cerdanyola del Vallès has two dead wild boars as the only confirmed specimens infected with the virus, but the National Reference Laboratory located in Algete (Madrid) is analyzing eight more suspected wild boar carcasses. "We shouldn't play games with the numbers," Ordeig urged.

Both the two cases confirmed several days ago and the other eight were found within the 6-kilometer radius area where access to the public is currently prohibited. Approximately 400 personnel are deployed in this area, including officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police), Rural Agents, Barcelona City Police, Forest Defense Groups (ADF), Civil Protection, local police, and the Military Emergency Unit (UME). This team has already completed an initial thorough search of the area to find any dead or infected wild boars or traces of biological material (such as skin or blood) contaminated with the African swine fever (ASF) virus, according to Ordeig. A second search will begin in the coming hours within the same perimeter, before expanding to a second 20-kilometer radius. The regional minister also confirmed that no cases of ASF have been detected within the 39 farms located within the extended 20-kilometer radius. Both Ordeig and the regional ministers of the Interior, Núria Parlón, and the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, met this Tuesday with the mayors of the municipalities in the area affected by the ASF outbreak.