China bans pork imports from Barcelona after ASF outbreak

Spain is the EU’s leading pork producer, accounting for roughly a quarter of the bloc’s output, ahead of Germany, with annual pork exports of about USD 4.05 billion.

Spain recently signed an agreement with China that means producers in other parts of Spain should not be affected by the ban, but it has halted all pork shipments to China as a precaution until Beijing confirms it has implemented the protocol to restrict trade only from the affected province, Emilio Garcia, a Senior Spanish Agriculture Ministry Official, told media in a briefing.

Once China declares it has been activated, Spain will be able to resume exports from regions that are unaffected by the virus. The restrictions and special monitoring will last at least 12 months, he said.

Mr Garcia added that Spain’s pork exports to China of over 540,000 tons in 2024 were worth around USD 1.28 billion.

Regionalization protocols

South Korea and the US also have regionalization protocols with Spain, so they will continue to import from Spanish regions except the province of Barcelona, which contains 14 meat-processing plants.

However, exports to Mexico and Japan will be restricted as the countries have no regionalization agreements with Spain, Mr Garcia said.

“The European market is already struggling after a 20% drop in prices since July,” said Jean-Paul Simier, a meat analyst at French commodities research group Cyclope.

“There is a risk of an embargo against the biggest EU pork exporter, notably in Asia, and China in particular.”

Census for wild boar population

Spanish pork lobby group Interporc said pork farms within a 20-km radius of the location where the boar were found, would face restrictions on operating and selling their products.

There are 39 pig farms within that radius, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Spanish farmers’ association, Asaja, said the sector was ready to face the outbreak, but called on authorities to address an ‘out-of-control presence’ of wild animals such as boars and rabbits in rural areas that risked contaminating livestock.

“We have spent years modernizing farms, reinforcing biosecurity and making our operations among the most advanced in the world,” the association said.

Mr Garcia said authorities would conduct a census of the area’s wild boar population and tightly monitor their movements.

The two boar carcasses had been found “while they were still fresh,” so the virus was detected early, he said.

ASF in Europe

The virus, which is harmless to humans but deadly for pigs, has been spreading westwards in Europe in recent years.

Germany’s sizeable pork industry has already been rattled, with many overseas countries imposing bans on its pork.

In recent months, Croatia has been trying to contain an outbreak.