The Department of Agriculture has confirmed the detection of 21 new positive cases of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar, all of them within the high‑risk zone except for one located in Sant Just Desvern.
This situation requires the publication of a new resolution restricting access to natural areas in the municipalities of Sant Just Desvern and Esplugues de Llobregat (Baix Llobregat), which are now added to the group of municipalities classified as high‑risk areas (18 in total, including the Barcelona enclave). The inclusion of these two municipalities is due to the new positive case detected outside the previously defined high‑risk zone and follows the prevention measures established in the Government’s containment plan to eradicate the virus.
This extension means that any activity in natural areas within this zone is temporarily prohibited, including leisure activities, for biosecurity reasons. In total, 216 positive cases have been detected since the first case was confirmed on 28 November. In parallel, 1,708 additional animals have been analysed, all of which tested negative.
Increase in resources to tackle the disease
The Government continues to deploy new personnel and resources as part of the eradication plan in the affected area. The appearance of these new cases in the southern municipalities of Collserola has made it necessary to intensify actions in the high‑risk zone. This situation has required an expansion of human, logistical and material resources in order to implement in these municipalities the same operational measures that have so far been applied in the northern part of Collserola.
In this area, the strategy of establishing a perimeter closure and isolating it from adjacent zones has proven effective and decisive in containing the spread of the disease. The Department of Agriculture is currently carrying out a weekly count of wild boar captures across Catalonia, totalling 18,913 wild boar since 1 January, not including animals captured within the infected zone (which covers both high‑ and low‑risk municipalities).
In the infected zone, a total of 85 hunting drives have been carried out over the past four weekends, resulting in the culling of nearly 400 wild boar. An average of 606 hunters and 50 dogs have participated each weekend.
