Agriculture Spain fears for billions in business due to swine fever
The first outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in more than 30 years is threatening exports worth billions in Spain. So far, the virus has been detected in nine wild boars that died of the disease in Catalonia.
03.12.2025, 15:41
SDA
However, the Ministry of Agriculture in Madrid announced in its most recent report that pigs kept in farms are still not affected.
ASF is not dangerous for humans, but is highly contagious and deadly for pigs. Infected animals usually die after just a few days. The outbreak of the disease is also alarming for the Spanish economy. Last year, the country exported pork worth almost 8.8 billion euros - a good five billion to the EU and almost 3.7 billion to third countries.
Since the first cases of infection were announced last week, around 20 countries have already stopped all imports from Spain, including Canada, Japan, Brazil and Mexico. Other countries - including the largest buyer China and the UK - have decided to restrict their imports to regions outside the affected Barcelona area for the time being.
Leftovers are said to be to blame for the malaise
Unlike Germany, for example, which has been battling the disease for five years and has already recorded thousands of cases of infection since 2020, Spain had been considered free of swine fever for decades, which boosted exports. But then came what the newspaper "El País" described as "terrible news" on Friday: the first two cases of infection were detected in the Collserola Nature Park near Barcelona, which is also popular with hikers from abroad.
The cause of the first ASF cases in Spain since November 1994? The authorities suspect that leftover food carelessly discarded in the forest by hikers is to blame. However, this has not been definitively confirmed.
Fighting the virus with drones and sniffer dogs
The area has been cordoned off within a radius of 20 kilometers. On site, more than 400 emergency personnel, including military and civil defense personnel, are using drones and sniffer dogs to try to find infected animals and prevent the spread of ASF. Disinfections are also being carried out. "We are working at full speed and with determination to eradicate the virus", assured Minister Planas on Wednesday in an interview with state TV station RTVE.
Spain is something like the "pigsty" of Europe: with around five million tons, it is now the largest EU producer, ahead of Germany. Spain's share of total EU production in 2024 was a good 24 percent. In the world rankings, the country is in third place behind China and the USA. Pig farming accounts for 14% of Spain's final agricultural production.
