News Pigs
Damage from swine fever in Spain is starting to take shape
The consequences of African swine fever infections are slowly but surely starting to take hold in Spain. About a third of all contracts are at risk, but agreements with key markets outside the European Union are limiting the damage.
Read this article?
Become a subscriber and get instant access
Choose the subscription that suits you
Of the 400 export certificates for 104 countries, a third have been suspended. This threatens exports, which have a total annual value of €8,8 billion. Mexico and Taiwan, among others, have already announced they will suspend all imports from Spain.
Fortunately, the United Kingdom and China have concluded a regionalization agreement with the southern European country. As a result, they only halted exports from Catalonia. The agreement with China was concluded just before the infections.
Government works hard
Both the national and Catalan regional governments are working hard to restart exports as quickly as possible. Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas has indicated that he will be negotiating vigorously for swift re-authorization.
On Sunday, November 30, it was announced that eight more cases of swine fever are suspected in Catalonia. To prevent further spread, regional authorities decided to close the Collserola nature park, where six infections have been confirmed among wild boars, to the public.