Catalonia closes park after swine fever outbreak

MADRID: Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia has barred access to a natural park after six wild boar found dead near Barcelona tested positive for African swine fever in the country’s first outbreak since 1994.
The Collserola park, a major natural park in the region, was closed for all leisure activities and outdoor activities were restricted in 60 villages near the center of the outbreak, the Catalan Agriculture Ministry said late on Friday.
Catalan authorities will deploy traps for wild boar and deploy police to enforce barriers to the area.
African swine fever is not harmful to humans but spreads rapidly among pigs and wild boar.
Taiwan became the latest country to announce restrictions on Spanish pork imports, when its agriculture ministry said on Saturday it had banned all pork product and live pig imports.
China has banned pork imports from Barcelona province after Spain detected its first case of African swine fever in three decades, a Chinese Customs document seen by Reuters showed.
Britain on Friday said it would temporarily stop imports of pork meat from Catalonia. Mexico has suspended imports of pork products from Spain following the swine fever outbreak.