Spanish officials have confirmed a fresh outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in wild boars near Barcelona — the first detection of the deadly livestock disease in the country in over 30 years. Since late November, at least 13 wild boars have tested positive for ASF, prompting a sweeping emergency response by regional and national authorities.
The outbreak, concentrated around a natural-park area in Catalonia, triggered immediate containment measures. Over 700 personnel — including rural agents, police, forest-service officers, and emergency-military units — have been deployed to remove infected carcasses, track potentially exposed wild boar populations, and disinfect affected areas.
Access to forests, natural parks and non-urban green zones has been banned across 91 municipalities surrounding Barcelona — affecting recreational, forestry, and hunting activities until at least mid-December. Authorities are also planning to cull wild boars inside the containment area to reduce the risk of spread, including inside zones enclosing natural corridors that wild boars might use to escape.
The outbreak threatens Spain’s pork industry, one of the largest in Europe. Export restrictions have been placed on meat from the affected area, and some countries have suspended imports from Barcelona-region producers. Meanwhile, other buyers from unaffected Spanish regions are allowed imports under strict sanitary and regional-certification rules, highlighting how fragile international meat-trade chains can be in the face of outbreaks.
Initially, officials suspected contaminated food waste — such as a discarded ham sandwich — consumed by a wild boar might be the source of the infection. However, genomic analysis revealed that the virus strain identified in infected boars matches a “research strain” used in laboratories, rather than variants typically circulating in wild populations across Europe.
As a result, Spanish authorities have opened an investigation into nearby laboratories to evaluate whether an accidental lab leak may have triggered the outbreak. Although no definitive conclusion has been reached, the possibility of a lab-related cause has raised alarm across the veterinary and livestock-export sectors, given the catastrophic risk associated with ASF spreading into commercial pig farms.
While ASF does not affect humans, the outbreak has far-reaching consequences. Spain’s pork industry faces disruption that could ripple across European and global markets. Countries are adjusting import rules, and regulatory scrutiny on biosecurity measures has intensified. The situation also serves as a reminder of how quickly animal health emergencies can affect trade, public confidence, and global food security — keeping farmers, governments, and consumers on alert.
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