Spanish authorities are investigating whether the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak found near Barcelona may have come from a leak at a high-security research laboratory. Officials confirmed over the weekend that this possibility is now being formally examined.
Unusual Virus Strain Raises Questions
The investigation began after experts found that the ASF strain detected in wild boars around Barcelona does not match the one currently circulating in other parts of the European Union. Since late November, thirteen cases have been discovered in dead wild boars in rural areas outside the city.
Earlier Theory Challenged
Initially, investigators believed the virus—deadly to pigs but harmless to humans—may have spread when an infected wild boar ate contaminated food, possibly a discarded pork product. But new tests revealed that the strain involved in Catalonia closely resembles the “Georgia 2007” virus.
Strain Used in Lab Experiments
Spain’s agriculture ministry explained that this strain is a “reference virus frequently used in experimental infections in containment facilities to study the virus or to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines.” The ministry also noted that the discovery “does not… rule out the possibility that its origin lies in a biological containment facility.”
Economic Alarm for Pork Industry
The finding has sparked serious concern across Spain, the EU’s largest pork exporter. The government is taking steps to protect its pork industry, which is valued at roughly $10.3 billion.
Catalonia Orders Lab Audits
Following the discovery, Catalonia’s regional president, Salvador Illa, ordered an audit of five research centres that handle the ASF virus within a 20-kilometre radius of the outbreak. Illa stressed that officials are not narrowing down the cause. He said the regional government “isn’t ruling out any possibilities when it comes to the origin of the outbreak of African swine fever, but neither is it confirming any,” adding that “All hypotheses remain open. First and foremost, we need to know what happened.”
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Farms Safe; Containment Efforts Expand
So far, experts have not found the virus in any of the 39 pig farms near the affected area. To strengthen containment efforts, over 100 members of Spain’s military emergencies unit have been deployed alongside police officers and wildlife rangers.
