Catalonia has confirmed two new cases of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boars, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the region to 322. The announcement was made by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia.
The new positive cases were detected in the municipalities of Castellbisbal and Molins de Rei in the Barcelona province, both located within the designated high-risk zone for virus spread.
Over the past week, specialists processed 294 wild boar samples: 292 tested negative, while two tested positive for ASF. The infection rate during this testing period stood at 0.7%.
At the same time, the region continues large-scale measures aimed at reducing the wild boar population. During the week, 431 wild boars were captured or culled in both high- and low-risk areas. The operations involve Agents Rurals units, the Mossos d'Esquadra police, hunting associations, the Special Forest Fire Prevention Group (Gepif), and wildlife control teams.
Catalan authorities also emphasized the importance of extending the open hunting season through June. The measure is expected to strengthen wild boar population control and reduce the risks of further ASF spread.
To contain the virus in the 19 municipalities currently classified as high-risk areas, authorities have deployed specialized capture systems, including 26 individual traps, 34 collective traps, and 327 protective barriers.
Thus, Catalonia continues actively combating ASF in wildlife populations in an effort to prevent further spread of the virus and its potential transmission to domestic pigs.
PigUA.info based on materials from democrata.es