Chickens, cows, and now pigs: why rural Spain is suffering from an outbreak of viruses in animals

First, avian flu. And the sacrifice of 2.7 million farm animals. Then, contagious nodular dermatitis, a disease that has generated a crisis in the cattle sector, with sacrifices and movement restrictions. And now, African swine fever, a highly contagious virus that affects pigs and wild boars and that has a leading export industry on edge. In a very short period of time, three pathogens have broken out in rural Spain, with a double impact, economic and environmental. How is this chain of pathogens explained? Is it pure chance? Is there a connection with the climate and biodiversity crisis? How much does globalization influence? Are we heading towards a world with more diseases of this type? While waiting to know how the outbreak affecting the wild boars of Collserola originated, La Vanguardia has consulted three experts—a professor of animal health, a doctor of sanitary medicine, and an agricultural engineer specializing in food policies—to find answers to these questions. African ...