Spain’s Agriculture Ministry announced on Friday that African swine fever (ASF) has been detected in two wild boars discovered dead in Cerdanyola del Vallès, on the outskirts of Barcelona (Catalonia).
According to the government, Spain has not faced a significant ASF outbreak since November 1994.
Following the confirmation of the virus in wildlife, the agriculture and interior ministries have activated an emergency plan aimed at preventing further spread.
Officials stressed that African swine fever poses no risk to humans and cannot be transmitted through contact with infected animals or by eating pork.
No infections have been detected in domestic pigs. However, under international protocol, the presence of ASF in wild boar automatically triggers a halt to all Spanish pork exports beyond the European Union.
Pork products represent 19.3% of the country’s total agri-food exports.
The outbreak could threaten exports to China that have grown due to efforts by Madrid to court Beijing and gain market share.
But a ban could be limited after China and Spain signed a deal this month that would mean Beijing would only restrict imports from an affected region rather than from all of Spain.
All pig farms located within a 20-kilometre perimeter of where the boars were found have now been identified, and movement of live pigs – including those destined for slaughter – has been restricted as a precaution.
Agricultural groups urged producers to remain calm in light of Friday’s announcement.
Pere Roqué, president of ASAJA in Lleida (Catalonia), said the recent cases must be rapidly contained and resolved, noting that current biosecurity standards are far more advanced than they were during the major ASF episode in 1994.
Jordi Siscart, who heads the pork division of JARC, also encouraged confidence in both the Catalan and Spanish agricultural administrations to manage the situation and stop the virus from spreading.
Siscart pointed out that the two infected wild boars were located within a window of three to 24 hours after death, enabling authorities to respond swiftly.
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⚠️ Confirmados dos casos de peste porcina africana en fauna silvestre en España
📢 Esta enfermedad no supone ningún riesgo para la salud humana, ni por contacto con los animales ni por el consumo de productos derivados.
Todos los detalles: ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/xKc7mKoGlL
— Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (@gobmapa) November 28, 2025
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