African Swine Fever in Spain (Catalonia, November 2025) - Lessons Learned from Science, Surveillance, and Field Response

Abstract

In this special contribution to Friend of Pig Farmers, a leading swine production magazine in Japan, we present an interview with Dr. Jaime Bosch, eco-epidemiologist and specialist in transboundary animal diseases. In this interview, Dr. Bosch responds to a series of questions regarding the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak confirmed in November 2025 in Catalonia, Spain, providing insights from both field response and scientific modeling perspectives, with data updated as of 20 January 2026. Through this question-and-answer format, the article explores preparedness, surveillance, epidemiological risk, and lessons learned that may be relevant for Japan and other ASF-free countries. This text represents an adapted English-language version of the original interview, in which selected expressions and phrasing have been refined to ensure clarity, accuracy, and readability for an international audience while preserving the original technical content.