“We are going to guarantee exports to third countries”

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, asked this Tuesday “prudence“to citizens in the face of the outbreak of african swine fever that has occurred in Barcelona, ​​which has put the pork sector in check. In that sense, he has sent a message of “tranquillity” to this sector: “We are going to support you. We are now working on what is important, which is to quell this focus and, from there, guarantee access to third markets” of pork exports, he expressed.

In an interview at La2Cat’s ‘Cafè d’Idees’, he explained that the Government is working with the Generalitat of Catalonia, with the competent authorities and “also with the sector, to extinguish the focus“of a disease that has not been detected in Spain for more than thirty years and that, despite not being harmful to humans, has a mortality of almost 100% in pigs.

“We are reinforcing biosafety measures, reinforcing controls in collaboration with the sector“, the head of the Executive stressed in reference to the health crisis caused by the outbreak of African swine fever in wild boars in the Collserola mountain range, in the city of Barcelona, ​​this weekend, which has precipitated restrictive measures in 64 municipalities and the closure of three natural parks.

To contain the spread of the virus, the president has highlighted the deployment of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which from this Tuesday will begin working on the ground with the Rural Agents of the Generalitat and the Seprona of the Civil Guard, among others, in raids to contain the infection, supported by UME drones.

Sánchez has mentioned the economic repercussions that can cause this crisis: in Catalonia it is estimated that1,000 million are at stake of euros of exports to third countries outside the EU, since those within are guaranteed.

Thus, it has highlighted that “a market as important as China” be willing to continue buying Spanish pork, “except for those products that come from the province of Barcelona.” The president has shown his commitment to the sector in working to guarantee these exports.