Catalonia’s Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, stated that the current wild boar population in the region ranges from 125,000 to 180,000 animals depending on the season. According to the Directorate General of Forests, the safe population density should not exceed 4 boars per km², compared with the current 6.3 boars/km².
To meet this target, the government plans to cull at least 60,000 wild boars.
Ordeig also announced the creation of a new coordination body — the Wild Boar Table of Catalonia, which will include representatives of the government, hunting organisations, and industry associations. Its task is to harmonise strategies to combat overpopulation and strengthen capture mechanisms.
Catalonia has been financing an incentive programme for hunters for several years. Since 2021, the government has allocated €1 million annually for wild boar capture, including:
- up to €20 per captured boar,
- €5–10 per carcass for transport,
- subsidies to develop logistics centres for game meat.
The initiative is driven by several factors: wild boars cause 90% of wildlife-related road accidents, damage crops, and are major carriers of ASF.
As of day 12 after the outbreak was declared, 13 ASF cases had been confirmed, all within a six-kilometre radius near Bellaterra.
Ordeig emphasised: “No farm has been infected.”
All 55 pig farms within the 20-kilometre surveillance zone tested negative.
A total of 2,620 personnel from various agencies have been deployed to contain the outbreak. The region has now entered the second phase, which includes intensified wild boar removal using firearms equipped with suppressors within the 20-kilometre containment radius.
The Catalan government also confirmed full support for the expert committee investigating a possible laboratory-related origin of the virus. The closest research facility is the IRTA-CReSA animal health centre, located on the campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
The committee is expected to publish its first report next week, which will also assess whether nearby construction works may have played a role.
Spain’s Minister of Agriculture Luis Planas told Parliament that negotiations with trade partners to reopen pork exports are ongoing. He also reminded lawmakers that wildlife population control falls under the responsibility of the autonomous regions.
PigUA.info based on materials from noticiasambientales.com