Spain took urgent measures to deal with the African swine fever epidemic today (November 29th), aiming to mitigate the economic impact. The Minister of Agriculture confirmed that one-third of the pork export certificates have been frozen. Authorities in Spain confirmed yesterday the first case of African swine fever in the Catalonia region in 30 years.
According to Agence France-Presse, although the African swine fever virus is harmless to humans, it is highly contagious and deadly to pigs, posing a potential severe blow to the Spanish pork industry if the epidemic spreads.
Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas stated today that the government hopes to “as much as possible” mitigate the economic impact of the African swine fever epidemic on the domestic agriculture and livestock industry.
During a press conference, he highlighted that Spain is the world’s third-largest producer of pork and related products, exporting nearly 3 million tons of these products to over 100 countries annually.
However, Planas also confirmed that one-third of Spain’s pork export certificates have been “frozen.”
He stated, “Out of the 400 export certificates for selling pork to 104 countries, one-third have been frozen. We are working to restore export permits as soon as possible.”
Local authorities in Catalonia have established two lines of defense around the epidemic area and imposed restrictions on outdoor activities.
According to Agence France-Presse, African swine fever is currently prevalent in other European countries, including the Baltic countries and several Eastern European countries.