The Government of Aragon will launch the Aragon Table for the Prevention and Fight against African Swine Fever (ASF), a technical and multi-sectoral body that will coordinate surveillance, biosecurity and control actions for wild boar populations with the aim of keeping the autonomous community free of this disease.
The Aragonese government has reiterated that there are currently no outbreaks of African swine fever in Aragon. The nearest outbreak remains in the province of Barcelona and affects only wild boar populations; no cases have been detected in commercial pig farms.
The new committee will be co-chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food, Arancha Simón, and the Minister of the Environment and Tourism, Luis Biendicho. Technicians from various departments of the Government of Aragon, representatives from the Aragonese Hunting Federation, the pig farming sector , and other relevant organizations will also participate.
The creation of this body reflects the strategic importance of pork in Aragon. The region is Spain’s leading pork producer, with over 4,000 farms, exports exceeding €2.2 billion, and a sector that represents nearly 40% of agricultural production, in addition to generating a significant amount of employment in rural areas.
Although Aragon remains free of the disease, the regional government points out that the experience of other European countries demonstrates that African swine fever can spread both through the expansion of wild boar populations and through human activity, via the transport of animals, meat products, or contaminated materials. Therefore, it considers it a priority to strengthen preventive measures.
The working group’s objectives include improving the monitoring of wild boar populations, intensifying health surveillance through the analysis of hunted or found dead animals, reviewing biosecurity protocols , sampling procedures, and carcass management, as well as strengthening coordination between government agencies, hunters, and the pig farming sector. They will also assess the personnel, training, and material resource needs to ensure a rapid response to a potential disease outbreak.
The Aragonese Executive emphasizes that the collaboration of hunters will be key to controlling the wild boar population and the early detection of sick or dead specimens, while the involvement of the pig farming sector will strengthen biosecurity and protect an activity essential to the regional economy.
African swine fever affects only domestic pigs and wild boars, and poses no risk to human health, either through contact with the animals or through the consumption of pork or pork products.
