The State is negotiating with various countries to "limit as much as possible" the economic impact of swine fever.

The Spanish government is negotiating at all levels to "limit as much as possible" the economic impact of African swine fever (ASF), confirmed after two cases were detected—with four more cases pending validation—in two wild boars in Collserola. ASF is a disease caused by a virus that has no effect on human health (neither through contact nor consumption of meat), but it is highly contagious between wild boar and pigs, with mortality rates approaching 100%. For this reason, some countries are very protectionist regarding exports. Specifically, the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, stated that 20 out of 104 countries have automatically blocked Spanish pork exports. In a press conference this Saturday, Planas explained that these countries are not making any exceptions based on region, for example, limiting exports only from the affected area, nor by product. Among the destinations are countries like Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Mexico. However, the Ministry wants to be cautious in quantifying the economic impact of the blockade because negotiations are underway to try to ease it. This is the situation in 24 countries that, although they have already implemented restrictions on pork exports, are limiting them to the affected region. This is the case, for example, with China, which has blocked the entry of pork products from the province of Barcelona. This is a relief for the sector, since the Asian country represents a significant portion of pork exports (1.1 billion euros for Spain as a whole). The list of countries that have also blocked exports, but with geographical limitations (only the affected area), includes the Philippines, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Serbia, among others. "We will fight file by file, country by country, certificate by certificate," insisted Planas, who quantified the number of blocked export files for pork at one-third of the 400. Currently, the impact of the plague has been limited to a 20-kilometer radius from where cases have been detected. Farms and processing plants within this radius are fully affected by the blockade and cannot sell their meat, even within the European Union. In any case, sources at the Ministry of Agriculture downplay the impact because no major activities are located within this radius. It is worth remembering, however, that for now the cases are limited to wild boar, so the plague has not yet spread to livestock farms. Supply guaranteed

Planas took the opportunity to send a message of "calm" to the public and of "prudence and responsibility" to the meat sector, which represents a significant part of livestock and agro-industrial activity in Spain, and particularly in Catalonia. Specifically, Spain is the leading producer of pork in the European Union and the third largest in the world, behind only China and the United States. "The supply of pork is guaranteed and [African swine fever] has no impact on human health," the minister reiterated. The minister also noted that "compensation is planned" for affected producers, although he insisted on proceeding "step by step." "For now, two wild boars have been affected," Planas reiterated, and reminded everyone that in the event of an impact on pork prices, the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets already has pre-established economic measures in place.