The State raises the total number of positive cases of African swine fever among wild boars to 9

BarcelonaThe Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food announced on Tuesday that the number of wild boars infected with African swine fever (ASF) has risen to nine, according to a statement. Until now, only two carcasses found in Cerdanyola del Vallès had tested positive for the disease, but seven more suspected cases have now also tested positive, according to analyses conducted by the National Reference Laboratory in Algete (Madrid), which is part of the ministry. According to the ministry's statement, the carcasses of the seven newly infected wild boars were found "very close to where the other two appeared last week," in the Collserola area. The new figure has been reported to the European Commission and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). However, the Spanish government maintains that no cases have been detected in domestic pigs or on pig farms.

Agriculture Minister Luis Planas assured reporters at the Senate that there are 9 positive cases among the 40 carcasses found; however, he emphasized that all are within the same six-kilometer radius of the first case. "It is possible that more carcasses will be found," said the minister, who explained that it is very important to clean the area because a dead wild boar or its remains can be contagious for 6 to 8 months after death. Planas also clarified that the new positive cases "do not change the protocols that have been put in place."

For a few hours there was confusion about the number of positive cases. Initially, the Spanish government delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, had cited data from the Ministry of Agriculture to raise the total number of African swine fever (ASF) cases to 6, but Ordeig later denied this figure, stating that he had not received any communication from the Spanish government. Finally, the ministry has raised the figure to 9.

The confirmed cases appeared within a 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, Civil Guard, Barcelona Municipal 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. Both Ordeig and the Ministers of the Interior, Núria Parlon, and of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, met this Tuesday with the mayors of the municipalities in the area affected by the ASF outbreak. The Minister of Agriculture praised the recent management of the wild boar population in Collserola: "The Collserola wild boar task force has been exemplary," said Ordeig, who noted that it has allowed them to "halve the wild boar population in recent years and reduce wild boar incidents by 70%." "It's fortunate that this work had been done, and it allows us to face the PPA control efforts with greater confidence," he said at a press conference after the meeting with the mayors. In this regard, the Generalitat (Catalan government) is keeping the area closed to the public within a 6-kilometer radius and has asked citizens to avoid going to the restricted zones and the Collserola Natural Park. "We know it's a sacrifice and that the disease doesn't affect people's health, but it does affect the country's economy. We will try to keep it to a few days, but we need everyone's cooperation and understanding," Ordeig requested. Regarding the possible origin of the outbreak, Ordeig reiterated that they are working on the possibility that the virus arrived through contaminated waste. "It could be food, it could be a sandwich, or it could be a vehicle carrying waste," he clarified. Aid for affected businesses

For his part, the Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, has announced that he 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 Catalan Government's Department of Economy is preparing "a package of economic support measures for the affected sector," which will be coordinated 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 euro credit line for farms and companies affected by the situation to "address urgent needs," said the Minister, who reminded businesses that require it can already 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 measures 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. Aside from 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 protocols to prevent the virus from spreading to other countries. However, the export ban does not affect domestic sales within Spain or to any of the other 26 member states of the European Union, which 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 can 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, because it will provide relief to many farms that were worried about facing a 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.