Spain records first case of African swine fever and suspends exports to China.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture has announced the suspension of all pork exports to China after confirming that two dead wild boars near Barcelona were infected with African swine fever virus, in the first outbreak since 1994. Emilio Garcia, Director General of Agricultural and Food Production Safety and Animal Welfare, said that this measure comes within a modern bilateral protocol agreed upon with Beijing, noting that once China announces the activation of the protocol, exports will resume from areas not affected by the virus. Barcelona is located in the Catalonia region, which includes about 7% of Spanish pork farms. Spain is the largest pork producer in the European Union, with a share of nearly a quarter of the bloc's total production, and its annual exports amount to about 3.5 billion euros ($4.05 billion). The Ministry of Agriculture stressed the adoption of emergency measures in the affected area, with tightened security measures on farms, while investigators continue to identify the source of the infection. It is worth mentioning that the virus is deadly to pigs but harmless to humans, and has previously affected the European pork industry, including Germany and Croatia. The Spanish Farmers' Association confirmed the sector's readiness to face the outbreak, calling for monitoring of wild animals that may pose a threat to livestock, praising the advanced biosecurity measures in Spanish farms.