detection of African swine fever (ASF) in several wild boars in the Collserola mountain rangeThe incident, occurring in the vicinity of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), has set off alarm bells in the Spanish pork sector. It involves the first confirmed outbreak in Spain since November 1994, after almost three decades in which the country had maintained its disease-free status.
Authorities insist that There is no risk to human healthAfrican swine fever (ASF) is not transmitted to humans through direct contact with animals or by consuming meat or meat products. Even so, the economic and health impact on the domestic pig and European wild boar It could be enormous, so all emergency protocols have been activated immediately.
How the outbreak was detected and what is known about its origin
The veterinary services of the Generalitat informed the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) of the Two dead wild boars were found on November 25th and 26th. in the vicinity of the UAB's Bellaterra campus, within the municipality of Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona). The animals, found at approximately one kilometer apartThey tested positive for the ASF virus after tests carried out by the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Algete (Madrid).
In the following days, At least four more dead wild boars were found in the same Collserola area.This brings the number of suspected or confirmed cases associated with the outbreak to six. Initial tests conducted in Catalan laboratories point to the same disease, pending final confirmation from the national reference laboratory.
Animal health experts from centers like the Maggot (Animal Health Research Center) are now working on the virus sequencing to determine which lineage it belongs to and where it might have come from. One of the hypotheses on the table is that The origin is related to contaminated remains transported by the AP-7 motorway.either through food waste discarded in service areas or material attached to vehicles that have passed through affected areas in other European countries.
According to the experts, it is “plausible” that an infected meat residue or pork product It may have been handled or ingested by wild boars in Collserola, acting as an entry point for African swine fever (ASF) in the area. This is, in any case, a hypothesis under investigation, so the authorities are urging caution until the complete results of the sequencing and epidemiological analysis are available.
A serious animal disease, but one that is not transmitted to humans.
Although the name might sound intimidating, the PPA is a exclusively animal diseaseIt affects domestic pigs, European wild boars and African warthogs, But it is not a zoonosisPeople cannot become infected, either by touching animals or by consuming products derived from them.
The European Union classifies ASF as category A diseasewhich implies that Member States are obliged to apply very strict control and eradication measures from the moment an outbreak is detected. There is no commercially available vaccine that allows for mass prevention, and The most virulent strains generate mortality and morbidity rates that can approach 100% in a pig farm.
Specialized veterinarians, such as Christian de la Fe, professor at the University of MurciaThey note that the impact depends on the virus variant and the animals' conditions, but emphasize that The pathogen's devastating potential for swine is very highThe contagion occurs mainly through direct contact between infected and healthy animals or for the exposure to contaminated material (biological remains, clothing, footwear, vehicles, untreated feed or by-products).
Sector organizations, such as the interprofessional organization Interport or the employers' association Interporc white coatThey wanted to emphasize a key message: There is no risk to food safety or human healthIn their statement, they insist that this is an animal health and international trade problem, but not a threat to consumers.
Europe and African swine fever: a widespread problem since 2014
African swine fever (ASF) originated in Sub-Saharan AfricaBut it began to spread alarmingly outside that continent from 2007 onwards, when cases were detected outbreaks in Georgia and, later, in Russia and ChinaIn 2014, it made the leap to the east of the European Union through the Baltic countries and Poland, generating a significant tremor in international pork markets.
Since then, the virus has spread across the continent and currently It affects wild boar populations and, in some cases, domestic pig farms. in at least 13 Member States: Italy, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia. At once, Belgium, Sweden, and the Czech Republic itself They have managed to eradicate the disease after isolated outbreaks thanks to strong wildlife control measures.
The case of German It was especially significant: the country, which was Europe's largest pork producer, registered its first positive cases in 2020, also in wild boar. Other states, such as Denmark and Germany itselfThey managed to lift kilometers and kilometers of fences in border and forest areas to try to prevent the movement of infected animals.
According to recent data from the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO)Since January 2022, ASF has caused the death of approximately 2,2 million pigs in 69 countries and territoriesEurope is one of the hardest-hit continents: cases have been reported more than 5.200 outbreaks in domestic pigs (around 642.000 animals) and near 25.000 hotspots in wild boars, which has resulted in the loss of around 1,5 million pigs in less than three years.
In this context, Spain had managed to stay out of it. of the disease since 1994, a situation now interrupted by the outbreak detected in Collserola. The episode is considered a “one-off incursion by long-distance jump”Similar to what was already experienced in Belgium or in areas near Rome in 2022, which fuels the hope of being able to to contain and eradicate the outbreak without it reaching pig farms.
Protecting the territory: double security perimeter in Collserola
Once the first positive cases were confirmed, the Generalitat activated the contingency plan for African swine fevera protocol that is automatically activated as soon as a case is confirmed in wild or domestic animals. The central component of this system is the creation of a double perimeter of control around the point where the infected animals appeared.
On the one hand, a core or infection zone with a radius of 6 kilometers around the epicenter, which affects a dozen municipalities in Vallès and the metropolitan area of Barcelona: Sabadell, Sant Quirze del Vallès, Polinyà, Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Montcada i Reixac, Ripollet, Barberà del Vallès, Badia del Vallès, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Terrassa and RubíIn this area, the following has been decreed: total closure of access to the natural environment.
In this core area, All hunting activities and forestry work are suspended.and any activity on rural land that is not strictly essential is prohibited. Installations are underway. physical and chemical barriers, traps for wild boar control and disinfection points, with the aim of minimizing the movement of animals and people that could facilitate the spread of the virus.
The second belt is a surveillance zone with a radius of 20 kilometerswhich covers approximately 64 municipalities and reaches a total of 76 localities affected by some of the restrictionsThis perimeter includes a large part of the Collserola mountain range and even sections of Barcelona's municipal boundary. Here Outdoor leisure activities are limitedas well as those related to biodiversity or environmental management that may interfere with the tasks of controlling and capturing wildlife.
During the first days, Rural Agents, Mossos d'Esquadra, Seprona, local police and technicians from the Department of Agriculture They have deployed a large-scale operation to monitor access points, actively search for wild boar carcasses and verify that the restrictions are being met. In practice, much of the Collserola Natural Park has been closed to recreational activities, including bike routes, organized excursions and picnic areas.
The practical manual of operations against ASF also includes the ban on hunting throughout the infected areaThis is precisely to prevent hunting pressure from causing sudden movements of wild boar into disease-free areas. In addition, reinforcement of passive surveillance (location and analysis of dead animals or those with compatible signs) and the hardening of the biosecurity measures in nearby pig farms.
Impact on pig farms and biosecurity
Beyond wildlife, one of the biggest concerns is the risk of the virus entering domestic pig farmsFor now, the authorities emphasize that No positive cases have been detected on farmsbut a extensive control device around the focus.
The MAPA and the Generalitat have defined a within a 20-kilometer radius in which all pig farms have been inventoriedIn this area, the following have been identified 39 production and breeding farms, of which 5 are located in the first 10 kilometers from the center of focus and others 34 between 10 and 20 kilometersIn all of them They have restricted the movement of animals and products in and out.and teams have been activated to carry out clinical inspections, sample collection and epidemiological analysis.
In practice, this means that The pigs are kept in the protected area for at least several months.and it is foreseeable that the The period of restrictions may last for around a yearbearing in mind that this is the minimum period required by international regulations to regain the status of being free of ASF once an outbreak has been controlled.
The interprofessional Interport has recognized that Farms located within a 20 km radius will see their daily operations seriously limitedboth in animal movements and in their commercial activity. Even so, they emphasize that the early detection of the outbreak in wild boar demonstrates the high level of health surveillance and control of the Spanish system and the coordination between administrations to activate the contingency plan without delays.
Agricultural organizations such as Unió de Pagesos (UP) They, for their part, demand that the Ministry and the Generalitat act quickly but also with proportionality in trade restrictionsto avoid additional economic damage that does not provide health benefits. At the same time, they emphasize that a rapid containment of the outbreak It is crucial to protect the entire pig farming sector and prevent mass culling of animals should the virus reach the farms.
Blow to exports: blocked certificates and regionalization
The emergence of even a single outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) has immediate consequences for the international trade in pork and pork products. The Minister of Agriculture himself, louis planes, has recognized that At least a third of Spanish pork exports have already been affected due to blockades or reviews of health certificates.
According to data provided by the MAPA, Approximately 120 export health certificates have been blocked as a preventative measure. relating to various pork products, aimed at about 40 third countriesAmong the destinations that have suspended or reviewed their imports are Russia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, United States, Philippines, Japan, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay and Venezuela, among others.
The Government admits that Spain has temporarily lost its status as a country free of African swine fever (ASF) with the World Health Organization (WHO).This necessitates a review of all certificates that expressly included this health requirement. For markets that accept the regionalization (that is, the possibility of limiting the veto only to the affected area or province, and not to the entire country), operators will have to provide additional guarantees of origin and traceability while the situation lasts.
Paper China It is especially sensitive in this scenario. The Asian country is the main buyer of Spanish pork products: in the last year it imported around 545.000 tons of pork from Spain, for an approximate value of 1.100 millones de eurosFurthermore, the unique feature of this market is that it acquires, to a large extent, cuts and by-products with lower sales in other destinations (bones, viscera, tracheas, offal…), which allows the Spanish sector to improve its margins and make the most of the carcass.
The health agreement with Beijing also includes regionalization, so that China would only ban the entry of pork products from the province of BarcelonaWhile the rest of the Catalan and Spanish provinces could continue exporting. Even so, the country has already decided suspend the purchase of certain items, such as calibration casings from all over Spain, while awaiting a better definition of the scope of the outbreak.
In global terms, the foreign trade of Spanish pork is around 8.800 million euros per year, of which approximately 5.100 billion are exported within the EU (where, for now, the detection of the outbreak in Barcelona has not led to a general lockdown) and others 3.700 billion are directed to third countriesIt is in this last block where there is greater short-term uncertainty.
Political reaction and concern in the pork sector
After the outbreak was identified, Minister Luís Planas held a press conference to to ask for "calm, prudence and responsibility" and ensure that the Government will work to to limit the economic impact as much as possibleHe also noted that, in accordance with international regulations, At least one year must pass since the last case before a country can declare itself free of ASF again., as happened in previous episodes in Belgium or in parts of Italy.
From the Generalitat, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Oscar Ordeig, has admitted that the The potential impact on the Catalan pig sector is significant.especially if the closure of exports to non-EU countries is prolonged. However, he wanted to emphasize that the Catalan farms are among the most modern and safest in Europe, with high biosecurity standards that should help to keep the outbreak confined to wildlife.
The Generalitat estimates that about 14 meat processing plants in the province of Barcelona They could be affected by restrictions imposed by markets like China, and remember that Pork accounts for approximately 19,3% of all food and beverage exports from Catalonia. In this sense, the The coming weeks will be key both to contain the outbreak and to renegotiate terms with trading partners who have chosen to temporarily block their imports.
From within the sector, calls for collaboration are multiplying. Interport It emphasizes that Spanish farms already operate with rigorous biosecurity planswhile other organizations, such as the Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC)They remind hunters of the importance of applying strict hygiene standards: proper handling of parts, correct management of by-products, disinfection of vehicles and equipment, and controlled disposal of biological waste.
The agricultural organization as well Union of Unions insists that it is time for maximum collaboration between administrations, sector and citizens to achieve rapid eradication. They have been demanding a long time greater control of wildlifebecause many diseases, including African swine fever, find in wild boar a reservoir that complicates their elimination.
Recommendations to the public and the role of wildlife
In response to the closure of paths and natural areas in Collserola and Vallès, the Generalitat has made a appeal to the responsibility of the populationThe message is clear: avoid entering restricted areas and respect all the instructions of the control teams so as not to favor the spread of the virus.
Among the recommendations given to the affected municipalities are seemingly simple but important measures, such as reinforce the cleaning of waste bins and containersrelocate cat feeders in elevated locations and warn the population that Feeding wild boars is strictly prohibited.The message is clear: the fewer incentives these animals have to approach urban environments, the lower the risk of contact with people, waste, or potentially contaminated material.
Authorities also insist that if anyone finds a dead or apparently sick wild boar in the surveillance zone or in any other part of the territory, You must not touch it under any circumstances.The instruction is to call the 112 phone so that the competent services can take charge of the animal and, if necessary, transfer it to the diagnostic laboratories.
Experts in wildlife management, such as the biologist Carmen RosellThey emphasize that the experience of other countries shows that It is possible to control an outbreak in wild boars without it reaching the pig population.provided that action is taken quickly and the movement of animals and people in the affected area is restricted as much as possible. They also remind us that The virus can travel on the sole of a shoe, a bicycle wheel, or the chassis of a vehicle. if they have been in contact with contaminated biological remains.
Therefore, the measures in Collserola include intensive search for corpses in the core areas, installation of selective traps, as well as the perimeter protection with disinfection points and physical barriersThe ultimate goal is to prevent African swine fever (ASF) from finding easy ways to jump from wild boars in the park to other wildlife populations or domestic pig farms.
While this arrangement remains in place, the Generalitat has called emergency meetings with mayors, the Barcelona Provincial Council, county councils and the management of the Collserola Parkin order to coordinate actions and ensure that information reaches the public clearly. Authorities also emphasize the need to only consult official sources to stay informed about the evolution of the outbreak and avoid the spread of misinformation on social media.
The reappearance of African swine fever in Catalonia, after almost thirty years of absence from Spain, This represents a serious warning for the entire pig farming sector and for wildlife management in Europe.Although the disease has no direct impact on human health, it does affect the future of thousands of farms, tests biosecurity systems, and requires constant monitoring of animal and product movements. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether the outbreak in Collserola remains contained within the park's wild boar or whether it necessitates further efforts to protect one of the cornerstones of Spanish agri-food production.