The government assumes the swine fever crisis is not over: "More positive cases will surely emerge."

BarcelonaThe Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, confirmed this Monday that only two cases have been detected so far. positive cases of African swine fever In Catalonia, but raised the number of suspected cases to eight and predicted that more positive results would "surely" emerge. The regional minister stated that it is still "too early" to determine the origin of the virus outbreak, although he indicated that the most likely scenario is that it arrived via contaminated food remains. In a press conference at midday on Monday, Ordeig explained that, for the moment, only two cases of infected wild boar have been confirmed. The first two were detected in Cerdanyola del Vallès last week, which prompted the Ministry of Agriculture to suspend all export licenses for wild boar meat to other countries. Aside from these two cases, the laboratory of the Animal Health Research Center (IRTA-CRESA) of the Catalan government has analyzed approximately forty more wild boar found in the area, of which about eight are suspected of having the disease.

These eight cases, however, are being analyzed by the National Reference Laboratory located in Algete (Madrid), which is the body responsible for confirming positive cases. The eight wild boars with the potential to carry the virus were found within the affected area, within a 6-kilometer radius of the location where the carcasses of the first two infected boars were discovered. For the moment, no other cases have been detected: "All 39 farms analyzed have tested negative," said Ordeig, who explained that the Catalan government recommended that farms throughout Catalonia "take extreme biosecurity precautions," apply "extra disinfection measures," and avoid "entry." Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, also appeared before the media, this time in the evening, to maintain the number of confirmed cases at two, although he left open the possibility that the cases being analyzed in the Algete laboratory might ultimately test positive. This Sunday, 300 personnel were deployed in the natural areas where access was prohibited, including agents from the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police), Rural Agents and Barcelona's Municipal Police, Forest Defense Groups (ADF), Civil Protection, and local police, in addition to an initial deployment of Military Unit 117. Specialized personnel for game control. "We'll see if more are needed or not." "This will depend on whether we find more positive animals and need to expand the testing area," said Ordeig. This perimeter, with a radius of 6 kilometers, extends over the Collserola Natural Park and affects a dozen municipalities. For the time being, access to this area is prohibited to prevent people and vehicles from carrying contaminated biological samples (blood, skin, etc.) that could spread the virus to other parts of Catalonia. Ordeig has asked residents of the affected towns to avoid entering the restricted area, "whether out of empathy for livestock farming, the rural community, or the economy" of the region. "We have a lot at stake," he reiterated, which is why the movement restrictions will remain in place for several days. For now, Ordeig is ruling out issuing fines, because some citizens are still unaware of the movement restrictions in the affected area. "We are not here to issue fines, but to inform: there are regulations that must be followed, and we ask for civic responsibility." "To avoid jeopardizing the operation of professionals and to prevent the transmission of contaminated material beyond a 6-kilometer radius," the regional minister said.

Economic Impact

Specifically, the fact that the Ministry has had to suspend exports outside the EU has a direct impact on the pork sector, from livestock farms to agri-food companies. Specifically, sales of pork and pork products outside of Spain amount to €3 billion annually, of which €1 billion are outside the EU. Ordeig pointed out that meat exports from Catalan farms are blocked "in more than 100 countries" and believes it will be difficult to reopen these markets. The Spanish government must negotiate with each country what restrictions they will maintain and what degree of export reopening they will authorize. In this regard, some countries prefer to completely close the entry of products from the entire country affected by African swine fever (ASF), while others opt to allow exports with restrictions only for products produced in the areas where outbreaks are detected. This is the case with China, the main market for pork exports outside the EU. The General Administration of Customs of the Asian giant has suspended pork imports from twelve companies in the province of Barcelona, ​​EFE reported on Monday, but is maintaining imports from the rest of Catalonia and Spain, a fact confirmed by the minister on the same day. Twenty countries rejected the regionalization of exports, but each does so "according to its own parameters" (for example, by municipality or other criteria), Planas added. Within the EU and Spain, sales are only prohibited for products produced by companies located within a second radius, in this case 20 kilometers, of the locations where the two infected wild boars were found.

Origin of the outbreak

At the press conference, the regional minister stated that it is "too early" to say how African swine fever (ASF) arrived in Catalonia, since the last cases detected in Spain were in 1994, although the disease has been present in other EU countries for years. In this regard, Ordeig said that "the scientists at Cresa" are responsible for determining the origin of the outbreak based on "the similarities between the viruses" found in the wild boars that died in Collserola and those detected in other European countries. However, the main hypothesis currently being considered by scientists is that the virus arrived through a sample of contaminated pork—for example, "spoiled sausage," according to Ordeig—that came into contact with the wild boars in Collserola. However, this hypothesis has not yet been confirmed. The spread of diseases between countries through food is commonplace and explains why most governments worldwide impose strict restrictions on food imports through border controls and regulations on air and sea traffic. Regarding the possibility that the virus arrived via a live wild boar, Ordeig asserted that it is highly improbable. Similarly, in response to rumors circulating on social media, the IRTA-CRESA—which is based on the Bellaterra campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and, therefore, near the locations where the dead wild boars were found— He has categorically denied that the virus could have spread from his laboratories.where he has been running a research program on the African swine fever virus genome for years.

The EU deploys emergency veterinarians

The European Commission announced on Monday that it is closely monitoring the outbreak of African swine fever in Catalonia and will send a team of emergency veterinarians from the European Union. The mission is expected to arrive on Tuesday to support Catalan and Spanish authorities on the ground. The situation will also be discussed in a standing committee of experts and authorities, as well as in a meeting between the heads of veterinary services from the various administrations. "We must act and take the measures provided for in European legislation," the Commission's spokesperson, Eva Hrncirova, stated at a press conference. However, in a statement, Brussels asserts that the official veterinary services of Catalonia "are already applying all the control measures provided for" by European Union regulations. Among other things, European law includes the delimitation of an infected zone; the active search for and officially controlled disposal of wild boar carcasses; The measures include a ban on hunting in the area to limit the movement of wild boars into a free zone; restrictions on non-essential activities; increased passive surveillance and biosecurity measures on pig farms; and official visits to these farms. Gerard FagedaThe European Commission has once again asked non-EU countries to refrain from banning pork exports from the entire country, although it regretted that it cannot currently issue export certificates to third countries for animals "requiring the status of a country free of African swine fever." "We urge third countries to respect the principle of regionalization and not to prohibit exports from the entire territory of Spain," added the Commission spokesperson.