China clears Spain’s pork exports despite ASF outbreak

Spain, which is mobilising to contain an outbreak of African swine fever in Barcelona, received confirmation from major pork importer China on Monday that it can resume pork exports to the country from all other regions, informed its agriculture minister. Spain halted all pork shipments to China on Friday as a precaution until Beijing confirmed it had implemented a protocol signed earlier this year which meant it would only ban imports from regions affected by the virus. China accounts for 42% of Spain’s pork exports outside the European Union. Spain is the EU’s leading pork producer, accounting for roughly a quarter of the bloc’s output, ahead of Germany, with annual pork exports of about 3.5 billion euros ($4.05 billion). Authorities confirmed on Friday that two wild boar found dead had tested positive for African swine fever, last recorded in Spain in 1994. A 6-km exclusion zone was set up around the affected area in Bellaterra, on the far side of the Collserola mountain range ...