News
Swine fever gives Collserola a respite, but restrictions remain
Collserola received its best news this Thursday since the African swine fever outbreak began on 28 November. For the first time, none of the 302 wild-boar samples analysed during a week tested positive, although restrictions remain and access to the natural environment is still limited in the highest-risk area.
The accumulated balance remains considerable. Since the operation began, 11,331 wild boars have been analysed, with 379 positive and 10,952 negative results. Agriculture interprets the absence of new cases as a favourable sign, but insists that a single clean week is not enough to consider the virus definitively under control.
For that reason, everyday life around Collserola has not yet changed. The high-risk area comprises 19 municipalities, including Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Sant Cugat, Rubí, Terrassa, Esplugues, Sant Just Desvern and Molins de Rei. Access to Parc Natural de Collserola remains restricted, and controls and disinfection measures continue.
The operation also maintains intense pressure on the wild boar population. In the last week alone, 333 specimens have been captured, and the total has already reached 10,727 since the emergency began. To reinforce this work, 24 traps, 94 collective capture structures and 353 barriers intended to prevent movement between different areas have been installed.
More than 800 people have taken part in the operation this week, including Agents Rurals, Mossos d’Esquadra, GEPIF, local police, Civil Protection, Guardia Civil and other teams. The basic recommendations remain in force for residents: do not feed the wild boars, keep waste in closed containers and call 112 if a dead animal or one with symptoms appears.
The problem extends far beyond the park's closed paths. African swine fever does not affect people, but it has a strong economic impact on livestock farming and foreign trade. Since the outbreak began, no positive cases have been detected on domestic pig farms, although health restrictions have affected access to certain international markets.
The return to normal commercial activity will not be immediate even if new cases now disappear. To fully regain the lost health status, an absence of positive cases must be maintained for a prolonged period; the pork sector has been using at least 12 months without new cases as a reference point for returning to a fully favourable situation in certain markets.
The week therefore marks a first turning point, but not yet a reopening. Collserola continues with limited access, traps, controls and hundreds of personnel on the ground. The difference is that, for the first time in almost nine months, every analysis in a week has come back negative.