The announcement was made by Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), which highlighted recent achievements in efforts to recover international markets for Spanish pork affected by ASF-related trade restrictions.
One of the most significant developments is the approval of a new veterinary certificate for the export of processed pork products to Ecuador. The certificate has already been agreed upon and is now available for use, paving the way for the resumption of exports to one of the Spanish meat sector’s key markets in Latin America.
Spain and Honduras have also agreed on a new health certificate that will allow the resumption of pork exports from ASF-free areas. Trade will be conducted in accordance with the regionalization principle applied within the European Union. In addition, exported products must undergo a mitigation treatment recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), reducing the risk of disease transmission.
Spain has also reported progress in its trade relations with Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities have officially accepted regionalization in line with EU legislation, creating the conditions for the resumption of fresh Spanish pork exports under specific veterinary and sanitary guarantees.
According to the agreed requirements, exported meat must originate from regions where no cases of ASF in domestic pigs have been reported during the 12 months prior to slaughter. Furthermore, the animals must come from farms and be slaughtered in facilities located outside restricted areas. No ASF cases may have been detected within a 10-kilometre radius of those establishments during the 40 days preceding slaughter.
For meat products exported to Ukraine, an electronic certification system is currently being implemented to facilitate trade procedures and speed up export documentation processes.
Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture noted that these agreements represent another important step toward the gradual recovery of Spanish pork exports to markets outside the European Union.
Industry representatives emphasize that the recognition of regionalization by international trading partners is crucial for maintaining trade during localized ASF outbreaks, as it helps avoid the complete closure of export markets and allows disease-free regions to continue supplying international customers.
PigUA.info, based on information from Euromeatnews.com