The meat industry estimates at €350M the impact of swine fever on the markets of Japan and Mexico
The association ANICE points out that exports to the Asian country fall by 74% and to Mexico they are reduced to zero
BarcelonaThe National Association of Meat Industries of Spain (ANICE) estimates the impact on the State as a whole at 350 million euros due to the reduction in the sector's exports to Japan and Mexico derived from African Swine Fever (ASF). In a statement published this Friday, the organization—which represents more than 600 companies with a 75% market share—indicates that sales of meat and pork product scraps to the Asian country have fallen by 74% in volume and 77.5% in value compared to last year, in a context prior to the detection of the first cases. The situation in Mexico is even more critical for the sector, as exports have been reduced to zero, the association asserts.
In Japan, despite the suspension of pork imports from Spain, the commercialization of products packaged before October 29, 2025, continued to be permitted. According to ANICE, this circumstance allowed flows to be maintained during the first months of 2026, which is why the cumulative total for the first quarter cushions the aggregate impact.
For the association's director general, Giuseppe Aloisio, the figures collected at the close of the first half "do not show the full dimension of the problem," and he warns: "If we do not manage to regain access to the Japanese market, the impact will be much more pronounced during the second half of the year." It should be remembered that Japan imported, between January and June 2025, Spanish pork worth 403 million euros, well above the 90.6 million euros from the first half of this year.
In Mexico, on the other hand, purchases during the first half of 2025 were 23.4 million euros, a figure that this year has been reduced to zero.
Regionalization and European response
Given the current scenario, ANICE considers it a "priority" to advance in the recognition of regionalization mechanisms so that restrictions—in this case for African swine fever—are applied only to the affected areas.
At the same time, and given the "magnitude" of the data, the association demands that the European Commission and all member states design economic mechanisms "that allow for cushioning" the consequences of health crises on the industry as a whole. The Generalitat, in this regard, recently approved aid for the various affected agents. On the other hand, five cases of swine fever were detected yesterday after two consecutive weeks without any positives.