• Spain reinstates emergency measures after deadly wild pig virus detected

• Highly contagious virus poses no risk to humans

Spanish authorities have put the agricultural sector on high alert after African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed in the country for the first time in over 30 years.

The virus was discovered in two dead wild pigs near Barcelona, ending Spain’s virus-free status since 1994 and threatening the EU’s largest pork industry.

The Ministry of Agriculture immediately launched emergency protocols to contain the infection and prevent its spread to commercial farms.

The outbreak site is raising concerns, as the infected wild pigs are in Catalonia in the northeast, the main region for Spain’s pork industry, with a high density of farms and related activities, making strict biosecurity measures essential.

African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease, usually fatal to pigs and wild boars. It poses no risk to human health or food safety but has devastating economic consequences for farmers.

The virus can survive for long periods in the environment, on clothing, and in pork products, making eradication difficult once it spreads.

The virus’s return comes at a sensitive time for Spain’s trade ambitions, as the country has been the main pork supplier to China, the world’s largest consumer, over the past five years.

Spain had expanded its market share after China imposed a full ban on Germany following an outbreak there in 2020.

However, a recent agreement between Madrid and Beijing may limit economic impact, as the protocol applies a “regionalization” principle, restricting measures to the affected area near Barcelona rather than imposing a nationwide ban on Spanish pork products.

Spain previously fought a long battle with ASF from the 1960s until it was eradicated in the mid-1990s, and authorities hope modern surveillance and early detection in wild pigs will prevent a repeat of the decades-long crisis.