The agricultural organization Unió de Pagesos (UP) revealed that the initial losses suffered by the Catalan pig sector in December 2025 amounted to 63 million euros due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF). The head of the sector, Rossend Saltiveri, warned that this figure could multiply by twelve during 2026, as control measures and market restrictions are expected to last for a full year.
“"We need 12 months free of the plague to be positive again."
This situation has caused producers to go from earning 26 euros per pig to losing 36 euros following the ASF outbreak. The most affected are farmers located within the 20-kilometer radius of the Barcelona area where the outbreak was detected. This drop represents a 17% decrease in the turnover of the Catalan pig sector during November and December.
Although 60 positive cases of ASF have been reported in wild boars, UP emphasizes that no positive cases have been detected in any of the 57 pig farms within the infected radius. Nevertheless, the virus led to movement restrictions for 61,500 heads, affecting 10% of the total in the Barcelona demarcation, and directly impacted exports, especially to China, where regionalization prevents the shipment of pigs from this zone.
The impact was also reflected in livestock prices. The price of live pig at Mercolleida fell drastically from the end of November 2025 (when the outbreak was declared) to 1 euro per kilo at the turn of the year, after having reached 1.815 euros per kilo in early July.
