African swine fever confirmed in Spain after three decades
The World Organisation for Animal Health reported on Nov. 28 that African swine fever has been detected in wild boars found dead in Barcelona Province, Spain.
The confirmation, dated Nov. 27, marks the country’s first ASF occurrence since Sept. 30, 1994—ending more than three decades of being free of the disease, according to a news release from swinehealth.org.
According to a Reuters report published Nov. 30, the number of suspected cases has grown since the initial finding. Two wild boars tested positive initially, while an additional 12 wild boars are undergoing diagnostic testing. If confirmed, the total would rise to 14 cases, according to swinehealth.org.
Spanish authorities have launched immediate response measures, including surveillance and containment efforts. Several international trading partners have already restricted imports of Spanish pork, a sector valued at €8.8 billion ($10.2 billion) annually, as noted by Spain’s Agriculture Minister Luis Planas.
The re-emergence of ASF in Spain underscores the ongoing challenges posed by the virus across Europe and highlights the critical importance of continued biosecurity vigilance in protecting both animal health and global trade.
The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the United States swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments.
Market perspective
Spain is a top global exporter of pork and the largest producer of pork within the EU. Spain’s production was about 27% of EU production this year, said Erin Borror, vice president for economic analysis with the U.S. Meat Export Federation. That’s about 3.88 million metric tons produced in January through September, and that production is actually on a record pace, so up 6.6%, she said.
Because of regionalization agreements, Spain will be able to continue the majority of its exports, the USMEF said.
Because China recently reached an ASF regionalization agreement with Spain, China only suspended imports from establishments located in Barcelona province, the USMEF said. South Korea also recognizes ASF regionalization for 14 EU member states, including Spain, so Korea will continue to accept imports from regions of Spain not affected by ASF.
The United Kingdom and all EU member states will also accept imports from ASF-free regions of Spain.
Trading partners suspending all pork imports from Spain include Japan and the Philippines, which are Spain’s second and third largest non-EU export markets, respectively. Malaysia, which is sixth largest and where Spain holds 35% market share, also suspended all imports, along with Mexico, Taiwan and Thailand. Borror points out those closed markets may provide some incremental export opportunities for U.S. pork.
“The intra-EU trade continues, and they have, obviously, regionalization, and that trade is practically unimpacted,” Borror said. “What’s important is the third country trade.”
With EU regionalization —Spanish authorities and EU authorities quickly agreed and that meant only about a third of Spain’s exports to third country markets are fully suspended, she said. That that means the majority of their trading partners have accepted EU regionalization, at least the majority based on volumes.
“As we look at the big impacts, those countries that have suspended Spain’s pork—so their second largest destination, after China, is Japan, and Japan is a full suspension,” Borror said. “There should be some opportunities for U.S. pork into Japan, thinking mostly frozen loins. For Malaysia, I am optimistic. Again, the potential for kind of a mix of cuts, and just given the limited facilities eligible globally to supply that market, there should be some incremental business for the U.S.”
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
