LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Friday it would temporarily stop imports of pork meat from parts of Spain after the country confirmed its first cases of African swine fever in just over three decades.
Britain is one of Spain's main customers for pork, and the move comes as authorities in Madrid activated emergency measures in Catalonia, a region central to pig farming.
"Following an outbreak of African Swine Fever in Spain, all fresh pork and other affected products from Spain will be held at Border Control Posts until further notice," Britain's environment department (DEFRA) said in a statement.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and keep all measures under review," it added.
Spain exported 37,600 metric tons of fresh and frozen pork to Britain so far in 2025, worth over 112 million euros ($129.93 million), up 17% in volume and 9.5% in value compared with all of 2024, according to data from the government-backed body the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
The virus is a highly contagious disease that affects pigs and wild boar but poses no risk to humans. It has no vaccine or cure and often leads to mass culling when detected in farmed herds.
The disease has spread westwards in Europe in recent years, disrupting pork markets and prompting trade bans. Germany's outbreak in 2020 led to sweeping restrictions from major buyers such as China, while Croatia has battled infections in recent months.
Spain, the European Union's top pork producer, has so far avoided the virus in domestic pigs since 1994, making the latest detection in wild boar near Barcelona a significant concern for its 8-billion-euro ($9.28 billion) pork industry and export markets.
Britain's government earlier this year banned personal imports of ham and other meat and dairy products from all EU countries to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, following a rising number of cases.
($1 = 0.8620 euros)
(Reporting by Disha Mishra, Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru and Sam Tabahriti in London; Editing by Chris Reese)
latest_posts
- 1
How many ships have been attacked in the Gulf since start of Iran war? - 2Research institutions tout the value of scholarship that crosses disciplines – but academia pushes interdisciplinary researchers out
- 3Chemical leak in Oklahoma forces evacuations and leaves many ill
- 4The biggest black hole breakthroughs of 2025
- 5The race is on to turn your body into a GLP-1 factory
- An Investigate of 6 Creative Specialty Mixed drinks
- Dark matter obeys gravity after all — could that rule out a 5th fundamental force in the universe?
- Must-See Attractions in Australia
- They died 'doing what they loved': The stories of workers in their 80s who died on the job
- Figure out how to Team up with Your Auto Crash Legal advisor for Best Outcomes
- Language Learning Applications for Voyagers
- Vote in favor of your Number one method for commending a birthday
- Whale stranded off Germany for days found stuck again
- Understanding the Rudiments of Tree Administrations
