Catalonia announced a drastic reduction plan for its wild boar population following the outbreak of African swine fever detected in Cerdanyola del Vallès.
The Minister of Agriculture, Óscar Ordeig, confirmed that the goal is to reduce by half the specimens inhabiting the territory.
The region currently has a population of wild boars ranging between 125,000 and 180,000 specimens, depending on the time of year and breeding cycles.
This means that at least 60,000 animals will be hunted to reach the target set by the Govern.
Wild Boar Table to coordinate actions
Ordeig announced the creation of the Wild Boar Table of Catalonia, a space where involved organizations, administrations, and hunters will agree on how to tackle the overpopulation of this species.
The initiative seeks to establish concrete measures to increase captures in a coordinated manner.
The current average density is 6.3 wild boars per km², with an estimated breeding population of 125,000 specimens. The Directorate General of Forests proposed setting a maximum target of 4 wild boars per km².
“To achieve this, the wild boar population must be reduced by 50%, which in certain areas of Catalonia is skyrocketing,” Ordeig explained during his appearance in Parliament.
Economic incentives to capture wild boars
Since 2021, the Generalitat has maintained a aid line of one million euros annually to promote the capture of wild boars. The program includes:
- Incentives of up to 20 euros per captured specimen
- Transport aids for pieces between 5 and 10 euros per animal
- Subsidies to improve game meat logistics points
The measure responds to multiple factors. Wild boars are responsible for 90% of accidents caused by wildlife, act as vectors of diseases such as African swine fever, and cause significant damage to crops.
The situation of the African swine fever outbreak
Twelve days after the outbreak was declared, 13 positive cases of African swine fever were maintained, all located within the six-kilometer radius from the first two cases found in Bellaterra.
“The plague is not in any farm,” assured Ordeig. The minister recalled that the 55 farms in the 20-kilometer surveillance area tested negative.
The Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, detailed that 2,620 personnel from different bodies have intervened so far to contain the outbreak.
A second phase began with intensified captures of wild boars with silenced firearms within the 20-kilometer radius.
The Govern reiterated its “full support” to the expert audit committee analyzing whether the African swine fever could have come from a laboratory.
The nearest is the animal health center IRTA-CReSA, located on the campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
A group of experts will present a first report next week on the origin of the outbreak.
The document will also examine whether nearby construction works to the CRESA facilities had any relation to the outbreak.
In the Congress of Deputies, Minister Luis Planas explained that negotiations continued to reopen exports and recalled that the control of wildlife overpopulation is the responsibility of the autonomous communities.
