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Collserola restaurants will be able to apply for aid over swine fever restrictions
Restaurants and other businesses affected by restrictions on access to the natural environment in Collserola will, for the first time, be able to apply for a specific line of direct aid from the Generalitat. On Tuesday 1 September, the Govern approved a new economic package for businesses that have lost more than 30% of their turnover as a result of African swine fever.
The measure extends support beyond farms and businesses directly linked to the pork sector. Businesses located in municipalities considered high risk and subject to restrictions on access to natural areas will be eligible, provided they demonstrate that their 2026 turnover fell by more than 30% compared with 2025.
This includes hospitality establishments and activities that depend on the presence of hikers, cyclists and other users of Collserola. Some restaurants in the park have been reporting falls of between 30% and 50% in their activity for months, since the restrictions began.
There is an important clarification: Collserola restaurants are not closed because of African swine fever. The Generalitat allows access to establishments and economic activities located in enclosed spaces, with the corresponding health measures. The problem for many businesses is that limitations on entering and moving through natural areas have considerably reduced the number of customers.
The grants will be non-repayable, but the money will not arrive immediately. The Govern plans to publish the call during February 2027, when businesses will be able to demonstrate the fall in turnover for the whole of 2026. The total allocation has not yet been finalised and will depend on the number of businesses that meet the requirements and apply for the aid.
The Institut Català de Finances will also activate a loan facility with subsidised interest rates to provide liquidity to businesses in the affected areas. The package also includes financing for pig farms subject to movement restrictions and specific measures for slaughterhouses in the province of Barcelona harmed by the commercial limitations arising from the outbreak.
The aid comes as the health situation offers the first favourable signs after nine months of crisis. Collserola has gone around two weeks without new positive cases in wild boars, but the Generalitat is maintaining the restrictions for at least one more week for the time being. Any easing will depend on the continued absence of new cases and the assessment of the technical staff.
Since the first positive cases were detected at the end of November 2025, the operation deployed in the infected area has already removed more than 11,000 wild boars. The objective remains to greatly reduce the density of these animals in order to limit the risk of the virus spreading again.
For restaurants and businesses linked to the park, the next relevant economic date will be February 2027, when the call for direct aid is expected to formally open. Another decisive change may come first: the Generalitat is considering a possible easing of restrictions in Collserola if the epidemiological situation continues to be favourable.