Spain reports first swine fever case in three decades, jeopardising exports to China

African swine fever has returned to Spain for the first time in three decades after two wild boar found dead near Barcelona tested positive for the virus, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday, putting rapidly growing pork exports to China at risk of a ban.

The outbreak, Spain’s first since 1994, comes as Madrid seeks to increase its share of China’s pork market. A ban could, however, be limited after China and Spain signed a deal this month allowing Beijing to restrict imports only from the affected region rather than the entire country.

Barcelona is in Catalonia, which accounts for about 8% of Spain’s pork farms, according to Agriculture Ministry data.

Spain is the European Union’s biggest pork producer, responsible for about a quarter of total output, ahead of Germany, with annual pork exports worth around 3.5 billion euros ($4.05 billion).

“It’s not good news. The European market is already struggling after a 20% drop in prices since July,” said Jean-Paul Simier, a meat analyst at French commodities research group Cyclope. “There is a risk of an embargo against the biggest EU pork exporter, notably in Asia, and China in particular.”

Spain’s farmers’ association Asaja said the sector was prepared to face the outbreak but urged authorities to deal with the “out of control presence” of wild animals such as boars and rabbits in rural areas, which pose a contamination risk.

“We have spent years modernising farms, reinforcing biosecurity and making our operations among the most advanced in the world,” Asaja said.

Spanish pork group Interporc said it was working with Catalan and national authorities on cases limited to wild boar, alongside a 20-km (12.4-mile) surveillance zone, which it said reflected the strength of Spain’s animal-health monitoring.

The ministry said it had notified the European Union and activated emergency measures in the affected area, urging pig farms to tighten security while investigators work to identify the source of the infection.

The virus, harmless to humans but deadly for pigs, has been spreading westward across Europe in recent years. Germany’s sizable pork industry has already been hit, with many overseas markets imposing bans, while Croatia has been battling an outbreak in recent months.