China’s Lifeline Saves Spain’s Pork Industry After Swine Fever Outbreak
China-Spain trade deal saves EU country from pork export collapse
New trade protocols including regional tracing, with help from China, are helping Spain's pork industry survive the economic fallout of a recent outbreak of African swine fever in Europe.
Spain has lost its African swine fever-free status after an outbreak was detected in wild boar in Catalonia on 26 November 2025, just two weeks after new trade deals with China were finalised. Though no domestic pigs have been affected, the country’s pork exports to Asia, particularly to China, Spain's largest non-EU market, now face major disruption.
African swine fever was once widespread in Spain but was officially eradicated in 1994. The virus had originally spread from sub-Saharan Africa decades earlier. Spain’s pork industry, the third-largest in the world and second-largest in the EU, exports roughly €3.5 billion worth of products to Europe, Asia, and Africa each year.
The outbreak has halted pork exports to Asia, particularly to China, Spain’s largest non-EU market. Regional trade protocols are easing some pressure, but full recovery depends on a year without further cases. Until then, the industry faces ongoing restrictions and financial strain.
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