The government of Catalonia, Spain, is intensifying its response to African swine fever (ASF) following new cases detected in wild fauna. This week, 16 new cases of the virus were confirmed in wild boar, including the first detection in the municipality of Castellbisbal, which had previously been classified as a low-risk area.
The detection has led to Castellbisbal being included in the high-risk zone, bringing the total number of affected municipalities to 19. Of the 353 samples analyzed this week, 4.5% tested positive. Since monitoring began in November 2025, more than 4,000 wild boars have been tested, with 284 confirmed positive.
Despite the spread of the virus in wild populations, no ASF cases have been reported on pig farms in the region so far. Authorities are working to contain the disease within the smallest possible radius to protect animal health and ensure the stability of the swine sector.
In response to the epizootic situation, Catalonia’s Department of Agriculture has activated a €7 million emergency contract. The initiative includes hiring 170 personnel (with the first 40 starting next week), deploying 57 new wild boar traps, and providing 51 all-terrain vehicles for field operations.
All measures will be carried out under strict biosecurity protocols, including sampling and the safe disposal of carcasses to prevent further spread of the virus. The contract will run until December 31, 2026, with an intensive operational phase lasting approximately 20 weeks.
Over the past week, 356 wild boars were captured in the infected area (both high- and low-risk zones), bringing the total number removed in these areas to 4,137. Across the rest of Catalonia, more than 26,500 wild boars have been captured since the beginning of the year.
To curb the spread of ASF, authorities have also deployed extensive control infrastructure, including dozens of individual and group traps, as well as an approximately 80 km perimeter of fencing with hundreds of barriers to restrict wild boar movement.
Overall, Spain is significantly increasing resources to combat ASF, focusing on rapid response, wild population control, and containment of the virus to protect the swine industry.
PigUA.info, based on materials from nationalhogfarmer.com