LONDON, U.K.: Britain will begin holding fresh pork and related products arriving from Spain at border inspection posts after Madrid confirmed its first African swine fever cases in more than 30 years, prompting immediate trade and biosecurity measures.

Spain activated emergency controls in Catalonia, one of Europe's key pig-farming hubs, after detecting the virus in wild boar near Barcelona, raising concerns for its €8-billion pork industry and export partners.

"Following an outbreak of African Swine Fever in Spain, all fresh pork and other affected products from Spain will be held at Border Control Posts until further notice," Britain's environment department (DEFRA) said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor the situation and keep all measures under review."

Britain is a major buyer of Spanish pork. Spain has shipped 37,600 metric tons of fresh and frozen pork to the UK so far in 2025, worth more than 112 million euros, up 17 percent in volume and 9.5 percent in value from all of 2024, according to data from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

African swine fever, which has no cure or vaccine, is highly contagious among pigs and wild boar but does not infect humans. Outbreaks typically lead to mass culling and trigger immediate trade restrictions. The disease has steadily moved west across Europe in recent years, disrupting pork markets and supply chains.

Germany's 2020 outbreak led to broad import bans from major trading partners, including China, while Croatia has struggled with a recent surge in cases.

Spain had not seen the virus in domestic pigs since 1994, making the latest detection a serious threat to both domestic production and export confidence in the European Union's largest pork-producing country.

Earlier this year, Britain also banned personal imports of ham, meat, and dairy products from all EU states to reduce the risk of foot-and-mouth disease and other livestock diseases, following a rise in reported cases.