Madrid, Spain — Spanish authorities said Saturday they are investigating five laboratories in an effort to find the source of an African swine fever outbreak that has unnerved Europe’s leading pork-producing nation. The probes were announced after Spain’s agriculture ministry said on Friday that the virus identified was “very similar” to a strain frequently used in labs for testing infections. Spain has deployed dozens of soldiers to help track and contain the outbreak, which occurred in the northeastern Catalonia region, where 13 cases have been detected since November 28. The outbreak has led to a third of the 100 countries that import Spanish pork products halting shipments as a safety measure. Swine fever does not affect humans but is highly contagious and lethal for pigs. The five labs being investigated are located within a 20-kilometre (12-mile) radius of the outbreak, Salvador Illa, the regional Catalonia president, told a news conference. He also said that the 80,000 pigs on the 55 livestock farms in the zone of risk were healthy and fit for human consumption, and that, gradually, “they will be able to be sold on the Spanish market in total safety”. The African swine fever outbreak is the first that Spain has experienced since 1994. AFP
