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Authorities in Spain’s Catalonia region said they would ramp up a cull of wild boars following an outbreak of African Swine Fever that has dented pork exports from the European Union’s largest hog producer, Reuters reported.
The outbreak was detected last week when two wild boars were found dead in the Collserola mountain range outside Barcelona. Since then, seven more boars are confirmed to have died from the disease and authorities have said they expect more positive cases, the report said. Military members and others were deployed to search for other animals infected by the disease following the country’s first outbreak of the disease since 1994.
The virus is harmless to humans but spreads rapidly among swine. So far, no farms have been affected. Meanwhile, a farm association said the country’s wild boar population had grown by 550% over the last three decades due to a lack of effective control measures, Reuters reported. Officials have raised the possibility the virus may have spread after wild boar at contaminated food, possibly a sandwich brought from outside the country.
Spain, meanwhile, has taken steps to reassure international buyers, attempting to secure export certificates. The report said China and Britain have agreed to continue allowing pork exports from unaffected regions, while talks with Canada on similar terms continued.
Spain’s annual pork exports are valued at around 3.5 billion euros, or $4.05 billion, accounting for a quarter of EU output, according to Reuters.
Agriculture Minister Luis Planas told reporters he would fight “certificate by certificate, country by country” to resume exports, the report said.
Average gasoline price ticks below $3 a gallon, but diesel sticky
The national average gasoline price edged below the $3 a gallon threshold this week, AAA reported, while diesel prices remain higher than a month ago and at this time last year.
AAA said the average national gasoline price was $2.999 a gallon on Wednesday, after hitting $2.998 on Tuesday. The average price was $3.042 a week ago, $3.036 a month ago, and $3.037 at this time lat year, according to AAA.
Diesel prices have been more sticky. The average price stood at $3.734 a gallon Wednesday, down from $3.778 a week ago but up from $3.68 a month ago and $3.541 at this time last year.
Oil prices have slumped in response to a global supply glut. But the Energy Information Administration on Wednesday said geopolitical concerns have buoyed diesel prices.
“Global refinery margins for diesel have widened since late October and increased to their highest level all year, following refinery outages in Russia and in the Middle East and new sanctions on Russia’s crude oil, leading to limited refinery production and a decreased global diesel supply,” the EIA said in a report.
It said the impact was biggest in the Atlantic Basin, contributing to higher prices at the Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp (ARA) shipping hub, a key benchmark for European prices, as well as at New York Harbor and the U.S. Gulf Coast. The higher global prices also affected prices in the United States because U.S. refiners can sell into both domestic and international markets, the EIA said..