Kemiex Market Insight: Spain Faces Its Most Significant ASF Outbreak Since 1994 and Global Pork Prices React
Kemiex is closely monitoring the developing African swine fever (ASF) situation in Spain following the confirmation of 13 cases in wild boar across Catalonia since 28 November 2025, as reported by AgTechNavigator. According to the same report, genetic analysis indicates the virus shows strong similarity to the Georgia 2007 strain, which does not correspond to strains circulating elsewhere in the European Union. Spanish authorities have therefore opened an investigation that includes five laboratories located in the affected area.
The European Commission has designated 91 municipalities in Barcelona province as the infected zone; importantly, key pig-producing areas such as Osona and Lluçanès are not included in the restriction area. While the wild-boar cases prompted swift containment measures, the article notes that there is no indication of infection in commercial pig farms at this stage.
The regional government of Catalonia has announced an emergency €10 million support package, with the option to increase to €20 million (approximately US$23.2 million), in response to economic disruption linked to the outbreak. AgTechNavigator further reports sharp market volatility following immediate trade suspensions from several key buyers, including Japan.
In the same article, Rabobank’s animal protein strategist, Eva Gocsik, stated that the market impact has been “quite severe,” citing a 16% decline in live-pig prices and a 28% drop in piglet prices during the previous week. She also indicated that processors in the Netherlands and Denmark have reduced carcass and piglet prices due to expectations that Spanish products may be diverted into an already soft European market.
For reference to Rabobank’s expert team, readers may consult Rabobank’s Animal Protein research pages: https://www.rabobank.com/knowledge.
Spain’s role as Europe’s top pork exporter is significant as you can see in Kemiex report.
Spain controls 26% of EU pork population and supplies roughly 25-30% of China’s pork imports, making this the country’s most significant African swine fever outbreak since 1994″ said Stefan Schmidinger, Chief Economist at Kemiex.
Kemiex will continue tracking the evolution of the investigation, the containment measures within the affected municipalities, and the impact on export flows, pricing, and procurement conditions. We will provide further updates as new verified information becomes available.
For more insights and real-time market updates, get in touch with our team.