Catalonia could halve wild boars' population, currently between 125,000 and 180,000

The Catalan government is considering reducing by half the wild boars' population across the territory, which is currently estimated at between 125,000 and 180,000, depending on the time of the year and the breeding season.

The Catalan agriculture minister, Òscar Ordeig, announced on Wednesday that the government's plans will go ahead after creating a committee to study wild boars across the territory.

He also said that the experts' committee studying the African swine fever outbreak is expected to release its first report next week. The analysis will also determine whether construction work near the CRESA lab was related to the outbreak.

The number of wild boars is estimated as part of a plan to identify the number of species in Catalonia and the most effective ways to reduce their population by half.

Authorities are also studying areas with a higher wild boar population, such as Girona, inland Catalonia, and the Pyrenees. Data shows that 9 out of 10 traffic accidents involving animals were caused by wild boars.

Regarding African swine fever, Ordeig said there have been no other positive cases. "We can confirm that the virus has not affected any farm, not a single trading system," he said.

Economic support 

The Unió de Pagesos and Asaja farmers' unions have said that African swine fever is causing losses of €24 million per week across Spain. For them, the €10 million in financial aid announced by the Catalan government is "insufficient."

"This will not be enough, and we will continue pushing for new subsidies based on the sector's needs,” said Rossend Saltiveri, head of the pork sector at Unió de Pagesos, after a meeting at the Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona on Tuesday.