CRBC News
Politics
Conflict
Security
Economy
Science
Technology
Environment
Health
Culture
Society
Lifestyle
Economy

Discarded Sandwich May Have Sparked Spain’s African Swine Fever Outbreak, Officials Say

06:35 AM, 12/02/2025
Discarded Sandwich May Have Sparked Spain’s African Swine Fever Outbreak, Officials Say

Two wild boar in Bellaterra, near Barcelona, have tested positive for African swine fever and 12 more are suspected. Authorities have set up an exclusion zone, deployed police and 117 military emergency personnel, and notified the EU and the World Organisation for Animal Health. Several countries, including Taiwan, China, Mexico and the UK, have blocked Spanish pork imports, threatening a sector valued at about €8.8bn.

Spanish authorities are racing to contain the country's first confirmed cases of African swine fever in decades after two wild boar in Bellaterra, near Barcelona, tested positive and a further 12 animals are suspected to be infected.

What happened

Catalonia's agriculture minister, Óscar Ordeig, told local media that the most likely route of infection was scavenging: a wild boar may have eaten contaminated food, such as discarded cold cuts or a sandwich, in an area with heavy international traffic and become infected.

"The most likely option … is that cold cuts, a sandwich, contaminated food, could end up in a bin — we have to take into account that Bellaterra is an area with a lot of traffic from all over Europe — and then that a wild boar would have eaten it and become infected," Óscar Ordeig said.

Response and containment

The government has informed the European Union and the World Organisation for Animal Health and activated emergency protocols in the affected area. An exclusion zone has been established in and around Bellaterra. On Sunday, 300 Catalan police and rural officers were deployed to limit spread, and on Monday 117 members of Spain's emergency military unit were mobilised.

About the disease

African swine fever does not infect humans but spreads rapidly among domestic pigs and wild boar. There is currently no vaccine or cure, and outbreaks frequently lead to large-scale culling to stop transmission. Spain's last recorded outbreak of African swine fever was in 1994.

Economic impact and trade restrictions

The outbreak threatens Spain's position as the EU's largest pork producer and exporter and the world's third largest. Agriculture minister Luis Planas said roughly one-third of Spain's pork export licences to 104 countries have been blocked since the outbreak was announced.

Several trading partners have imposed immediate restrictions: Taiwan has banned all pork products and live pig imports from Spain; China has banned pork from Barcelona province; and Mexico and the United Kingdom have suspended imports of Spanish pork products.

Calls for action

The Agrarian Association of Young Farmers, Spain's largest farming organisation, urged authorities to address the growing population of wild boar and other uncontrolled wildlife, which it described as a key factor in disease spread.

Note: Officials emphasize the importance of proper disposal of food waste and biosecurity on farms to reduce the risk of further spread.

Similar Articles

Trending