China suspends pork imports from Barcelona amid African Swine fever case
Spain temporarily pauses all exports to China pending confirmation of regional import restrictions.
CHINA – China has stopped importing pork from Barcelona province following the discovery of African swine fever in two dead wild boars, according to a Chinese Customs document reviewed by Reuters.
The disease, which had not been reported in Spain since 1994, was detected as Spanish authorities were attempting to expand pork exports to China following previous tariffs imposed during an anti-dumping investigation.
Chinese customs records indicate that shipments from 12 processing plants in the affected area, including major exporters Costa Food Meat and Matadero Frigorifico Avinyo, have also been suspended.
Spain produces roughly a quarter of the European Union’s pork, making it the bloc’s top producer, with annual exports valued at approximately US$4.05 billion (3.5 billion euros).
A recent agreement with China allows other Spanish regions to continue exports, but Spain has temporarily halted all shipments to the country while waiting for Beijing to confirm the regional restriction protocol is operational, according to Emilio Garcia, a senior official in Spain’s agriculture ministry.
Once China verifies the measures are in place, exports from unaffected regions will be able to resume, and monitoring and trade restrictions will remain for at least 12 months, Garcia added.
Countries such as South Korea and the United States have similar regionalisation protocols with Spain, meaning imports from areas outside Barcelona province can continue, while Mexico and Japan, which have no such agreements, will restrict imports from Spain entirely.
The outbreak comes at a challenging time for the European pork market, which has seen a 20 percent price decline since July, raising concerns about trade barriers affecting major exporters, particularly in Asia, according to meat analyst Jean-Paul Simier.
Interporc, Spain’s pork industry group, said farms within a 20-kilometre radius of the infected boars will face operational and sales restrictions, encompassing 39 pig farms in total.
Farmers’ association Asaja stated the sector is prepared for the outbreak but called for measures to control wild animal populations, including boars and rabbits, which pose a risk to livestock.
Authorities in Spain plan to conduct a census of wild boars in the region and monitor their movements closely, noting that the virus was detected early while the two carcasses were still fresh.
Spain exported over 540,000 metric tons of pork to China in 2024, valued at approximately US$1.28 billion (1.1 billion euros), and the virus, which is lethal to pigs but poses no risk to humans, has been spreading westward across Europe, affecting countries such as Germany and Croatia.
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