Several countries have suspended Spanish pork imports, affecting about a third of the country’s export certificates, threatening the 8.8 billion-euro industry, as a result of its first outbreak of African swine fever in 30 years, Reuters reported.
Shipments to most of the European Union remain unaffected, except pork produced within a 20-kilometer radius of the outbreak. About a third of the 400 certificates to 104 countries are affected, according to Agriculture Minister Luis Planas.
“Our task is to keep international markets open,” Planas told a news conference.
As many as 14 infected wild boar carcasses were found near Barcelona, forcing the closure of a major park and restricting activities in 60 villages, Reuters noted. Police have been deployed to enforce the restrictions.
Both China and Taiwan initially banned all pork products from the Barcelona area, with China extending the ban nationwide. On Dec. 1, China limited the ban to pork originating in the outbreak area. Britain and Mexico have also suspended Spanish pork products from the region.
Humans face no threat from swine fever, but the virus is highly contagious among pigs and wild boar.
Meanwhile, in other agriculture news:
Bird flu update: Washington state reported Nov. 28 the first human death attributed to avian influenza in the U.S. since January. The strain, however, was different than the one that has been decimating the poultry industry and wild bird populations since 2021, Scientific American reported. University of Cambridge researchers have found a gene in the virus enables the pathogen to continue replicating despite fever-level heat that cripples human-origin flu strains, Science Daily reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the public health risk from bird flu remains low and no human-to-human transmissions have yet been reported. Since 2024, 41 people have contracted the virus through exposure to dairy herds, 24 at poultry farms and culling operations, three from other animal exposures including backyard flocks and three from unidentified sources.
Australian beef more prevalent: Australian beef producers are increasingly turning to feedlots to fatten their cattle before slaughter and export to Asian countries in a bid to take market share from the U.S., Reuters reported. A record 1.6 million head of cattle were on feed in Australia by June 30, up 60% from last year, with projections for that number to rise to about 2 million by 2027.
The increase comes as U.S. production is at its lowest level since the 1950s.
Tyson closes Midwest plant: Tyson Foods said it would close its Lexington, Neb., plant and lay off more than 3,200 workers because of shrinking beef supplies at the same time it converts its Amarillo, Texas, facility to a single shift. Food Dive noted U.S. cattle herds are at a 75-year low, the result of climate change, economic conditions and a resurgence of the New World screwworm. Tyson told investors earlier this month that higher cattle costs have outpaced rising sales, forcing the company to prioritize efficiency and reduce costs. The Lexington plant could process 5,000 head of cattle a day.
Food for Thought Leadership
This Episode is Sponsored by: Performance Foodservice
How important is it as a food distributor to build a brand for foodservice – especially since consumers may never see or recognize it? Mike Seidel, vice president of procurement at Performance Foodservice Corporate, shares how the company views the development of its existing foodservice brands, including Roma and Contigo, and how they helped in the creation of its most recent Mediterranean concept Zebec.
