Spain has confirmed its first cases of African swine fever since 1994 after two wild boar found dead near Barcelona tested positive for the virus, the agriculture ministry has announced.
The discovery has raised alarms within Spain’s livestock sector and threatens to complicate recent efforts by Madrid to expand pork exports to China, a major market for European producers.
The ministry said it had informed the European Commission and activated emergency protocols in the affected region. Pig farms have been urged to reinforce biosecurity while investigators work to determine how the virus reached Catalonia.
African swine fever poses no risk to humans but is highly contagious and often fatal in pigs. The disease has been advancing steadily across Europe, with outbreaks in central and eastern states prompting mass culls and trade restrictions.
Germany’s pork industry was severely disrupted after the virus spread there, leading several non-EU countries to impose bans on German exports.
Croatia has also struggled in recent months to contain infections on pig farms, as veterinary authorities across the continent grapple with the continued westward spread of the disease.
