Sant Just Desvern and Esplugues enter the high-risk area for swine fever after detecting a new case

BarcelonaThe Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, has announced that 21 new cases of African swine fever have been detected in wild boar. One of these cases was located in Sant Just Desvern, outside the initial area of ​​Cerdanyola del Vallès. This has led to the inclusion of this municipality and Esplugues de Llobregat in the high-risk zone, which now has an expanded perimeter, as confirmed by sources from the Department of Agriculture. With these new cases, the total number of infections has risen to 216. The Department also explained that another 1,708 wild boars tested negative. At an event in Seròs, in the Segrià region, Minister Ordeig emphasized that personnel and resources continue to be deployed as part of the eradication plan in the affected area and urged "great caution." "We are continuing with the strategy of perimeter closures and increasing captures using all necessary means, including drones, snipers, traps, and so on," Ordeig pointed out, adding that some areas have been reinforced. The regional minister expressed "concern" about the impact of the disease on the sector, but also "determination and responsibility," he said, to "act quickly and decisively." He explained that all available personnel from all agencies in Catalonia have been mobilized. "I would ask, please, to let the technicians and professionals do their work," he concluded. Ordeig also called for "a united front and unity of action" among the stakeholders involved in managing the plague, such as the livestock sector, scientists, and government agencies. "We have to do it right and we have to do it quickly, but that takes time," he acknowledged, and also recalled that, of the 25 European countries that registered cases of African swine fever, the fastest to eradicate the disease was Belgium, which took "just over a year to find the last positive case."

Eighteen municipalities in the high-risk zone

The latest official data on the spread of African swine fever in Catalonia was from February 26. At that time, 16 municipalities were already in the highest risk zone, mainly in the Vallès Occidental region and around the Collserola mountain range. These included Bahia del Vallès, Barberà del Vallès, Cerdanyola del Vallès, the Barcelona metropolitan area, Molins de Rei, Montcada i Reixac, El Papiol, Polinyà, Ripollet, Rubí, Sabadell, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Quirze del Vallès, and Santa Perpètua de Mogoda. Now, with the addition of Sant Just Desvern and Esplugues to this perimeter, due to the detection of another positive case in this area, the number of municipalities that are totally or partially within this maximum control zone has risen to 18. In these areas, access to the natural environment and activities such as walking, running, cycling, or walking dogs in the woods or on paths are prohibited. Picnic areas and parking lots are also closed. However, access to homes, conducting economic activities in enclosed spaces, and going to restaurants or sports facilities are permitted.