After 30 years: Spain confirms a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease

The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the first outbreak of African Swine Fever in over 30 years. Two dead wild pigs were discovered last week near the town of Bellaterra, about 20 km from Barcelona. Tests conducted at the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Madrid confirmed the animals' contact with the ASF virus, reported Pig Progress. The location of the outbreaks is unfavorable because Catalonia, along with Aragon, are the two most important regions for pig production in Spain. Following the detection of the outbreaks, local authorities have taken a series of measures aimed at limiting the disease to the smallest possible area. A control zone has been established within a 20-kilometer radius of the outbreak, where intensive surveillance and capture of wild pigs are being conducted. ASF is not unknown to Spain – the country has been fighting the disease for nearly 30 years, but despite this, it has been considered free of ASF for over three decades. Meanwhile, it has ...