ANICE warns that the full impact of the closure of strategic markets is not yet reflected in first-half statistics, and the consequences could become even more severe in the second half of the year.
Japan: €312 Million Lost in Six Months
In January–June 2026, Spain exported 24,880 tonnes of pork and offal to Japan, compared with 95,430 tonnes in the same period of 2025. This represents a 73.9% decline in shipment volumes.
In value terms, exports fell from €402.9 million to €90.6 million, or by 77.5%. The loss amounted to €312.3 million in just six months.
Monthly figures show the progressively growing impact of the ban: while Spain still exported around 7,000 tonnes of meat to Japan in January, shipments had fallen to only around 600 tonnes by June.
Japan suspended imports of Spanish pork following the emergence of ASF, but allowed shipments of products packaged no later than 29 October 2025 to continue. This is why some trade flows remained in place during the first months of 2026, meaning first-half figures still partly cushion the true scale of the losses.
The decline was smaller in the processed products segment: volumes fell by 17.4%, while value declined by 14.3%. This was due to the longer shelf life of such products and the concentration of shipments in the early months of the year.
“The first-half data does not yet show the full scale of the problem. If we fail to regain access to the Japanese market, the impact will be significantly more severe in the second half of the year,” said ANICE Director General Giuseppe Aloisio.
Mexico: Pork and Offal Exports Fall to Zero
The situation in the Mexican market was even more severe.
In the first half of 2025, Spain exported 5,154 tonnes of pork and offal to Mexico worth €9.8 million. In the same period of 2026, official statistics recorded no shipments at all — a 100% decline.
Exports of processed products also virtually stopped. By comparison, in the first half of 2025, Spain shipped 1,726 tonnes of such products to Mexico worth €23.4 million.
ANICE stresses that the loss of the Japanese and Mexican markets not only directly reduces sales, but also makes it more difficult to find alternative destinations for significant volumes of product.
“The meat industry is facing a particularly difficult 2026. The loss of strategic export markets is creating significant uncertainty and pressure for companies,” Aloisio said.
Industry Pins Hopes on Regionalisation
ANICE identifies international recognition of the regionalisation principle as one of its key priorities. Under this approach, trade restrictions would apply only to ASF-affected areas, while companies in disease-free regions would be allowed to continue exporting.
The association highlights the intensive technical work being carried out by Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) with the authorities of countries that have closed their markets and expresses confidence in Spain’s system of veterinary surveillance, biosecurity, control and traceability.
The industry is calling for stronger veterinary diplomacy to restore access to strategic markets such as Japan and Mexico as quickly as possible.
In addition, ANICE, together with the Spanish federation FECIC and Italy’s ASSICA, is advocating the creation of a dedicated European mutual assistance fund to cover veterinary risks.
Such a mechanism would be intended to compensate not only for direct losses caused by disease outbreaks, but also for indirect economic consequences, including sudden market closures, loss of trade activity and the need to urgently redirect large volumes of products to alternative markets.
PigUA.info, based on materials from euromeatnews.com