Spain has declared a health alert over the discovery of 14 dead wild boar in the Collserola mountain range, near the town of Cerdanyola del Valles (Barcelona).
So far, two carcasses have tested positive for African swine fever (ASF), while laboratory results are pending for the others, all found within the same area.
The regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food confirmed on Sunday that a special containment operation has been launched to locate and capture any potentially infected boar, in an effort to halt the spread of the virus.
Catalan agriculture minister Oscar Ordeig said the Generalitat had formally requested support from the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which has a specialist wildlife surveillance unit.
The Spanish Government had already made the UME available to Catalonia to help manage the outbreak.
A highly contagious disease among pigs
African swine fever is a highly infectious viral disease that affects only pigs and wild boar.
According to Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), it is caused by a virus from the Asfarviridae family and can trigger severe forms of illness with mortality rates approaching 100%.
It cannot be transmitted to humans, and authorities have again urged the public to remain calm, stressing that there is no risk to people or food safety.
ASF causes haemorrhagic lesions in the skin and internal organs as a result of vascular damage. The disease was first identified in Kenya in 1909 and reached Europe in 1957 through Portugal.
Spain suffered major outbreaks during the 1960s and 1970s, leading to a 30-year export ban on Spanish pork products imposed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). It was finally eradicated from Spain in 1994, until this latest detection.
A second major global wave began in 2007 after the virus entered Georgia via the port of Poti. Since then, ASF has spread across more than 50 countries on five continents, becoming one of the most serious threats to global pork production.
How the virus spreads
ASF can spread directly through contact with infected animals, their urine or faeces, or via ticks acting as vectors.
Wild boar, which often feed on carcasses, are considered key amplifiers of the disease and can rapidly drive transmission.
Indirect spread is also possible through contaminated clothing, footwear, tools or farm equipment, which is why hunting is suspended and strict biosecurity measures imposed whenever a positive case appears.
In Collserola, access to the affected zone has now been restricted to prevent accidental transmission.
Symptoms vary by viral strain but typically include high fever, red or blue patches on the skin, swollen eyes, vomiting and rapid deterioration.
There is no vaccine or treatment, and severe infections are nearly always fatal.
Authorities searching for the source
The origin of the outbreak remains unknown. Catalan officials say they are analysing the virus’s genetic profile to determine whether it matches strains circulating in other parts of Europe.
Possible scenarios include contaminated food waste, accidental transport of the virus via vehicles or equipment, or infected boar crossing borders indirectly.
Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has appealed for ‘calm’.
Speaking from Rome on Monday, he stressed that there is no risk to consumers, while warning that authorities ‘must not let their guard down’.
The minister outlined two immediate priorities: containing and eradicating the outbreak to prevent any spread to commercial pig farms, and mitigating economic fallout in Spain’s vast pork-export sector.
Spain ships roughly two-thirds of its pork products to EU markets and another third to non-EU countries, including major destinations such as China. In total, Spanish pork exports reach 104 countries, meaning any prolonged disruption could hit the sector hard.
Planas acknowledged the concerns raised by the Catalan government and confirmed that the UME (Military Emergency Unit) will be deployed to support containment efforts after a request from the Generalitat on Sunday.
