Public hearing on the new Extremaduran order against Aujeszky's disease

The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Environment of the Junta de Extremadura has opened the hearing and public information process for the draft order developing the bases of the program for the fight, control, and eradication of Aujeszky’s disease and adapting the regulations on other swine diseases to that same program. The decision is formalized through the Resolution of October 15, 2026, of the General Secretariat, published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE) number 204, of Thursday, October 22, 2026, with official reference 2026062626. The period for submitting allegations is fifteen business days and begins the day following the publication of the resolution.

The process is supported by Article 66.3 of Law 1/2002, of February 28, of the Government and Administration of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, which requires draft regulations to be submitted for public information once developed. The regulation under processing reproduces the objective of the Order of January 23, 2012, which until now developed the bases of the Aujeszky program in the region and adapted the rules on other swine diseases to them, issued under Royal Decree 360/2009, of March 23, which establishes the bases of the coordinated state program for the fight, control, and eradication of this disease.

Who can submit allegations and how

Any natural or legal person may examine the project and submit allegations or suggestions, according to the text of the resolution signed by the general secretary, José María Guerrero Pérez, in Mérida on October 15, 2026.

• Deadline: fifteen business days from the day following the publication in the DOE.
• In-person consultation: from 10:00 to 14:00 hours at the General Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock, avenida Luis Ramallo, s/n, in Mérida (Badajoz).
• Electronic consultation: Transparency Portal of the Junta de Extremadura (gobiernoabierto.juntaex.es/transparencia/web/c-agds).
• Submission of allegations: through any of the means provided for in Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure, or by email to sanidad.animal@juntaex.es.

The sanitary context of Extremaduran swine

The regulatory update comes at a time of special attention to swine health in the community. The Resolution of August 11, 2026, of the General Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock (DOE number 158, of August 17, 2026, reference 2026062143), which authorized extraordinary movements of swine livestock in the 2026/2027 montanera (acorn-feeding) grazing areas, warned that the epidemiological study of the latest cases of Aujeszky in Extremadura shows “a high degree of correlation” with the activity of keeping pigs in complete freedom during the montanera.

That same resolution recalls that fattening farms have lower sanitary requirements regarding the disease than production farms, and therefore it is necessary to increase controls and reinforce the immune status of the animals in accordance with Royal Decree 360/2009. The program is structured around the sanitary classifications of the farms—Indemne (A3) and Officially Indemne (A4)—and an obligatory vaccination plan, the specific guidelines of which are developed precisely by the regional order now submitted for consultation.

Impact on the sector

The regulation directly affects the livestock sector in Extremadura, which operates with animal movements subject to sanitary classification, vaccinations, and serological controls, and whose work calendar depends on the deadlines set in this order: from the entry vaccination in fattening units to the exemptions applicable to animals that finish fattening during the montanera (acorn-feeding period). The open period allows the sector to submit observations before the text reaches the Governing Council.

The approval of the new order will determine the sanitary obligations that Extremaduran pig farms will assume in the coming years and the margin of action for the competent authority to expand the vaccination program when deemed necessary, a power that Royal Decree 360/2009 recognizes for the autonomous communities.

Source: Official Gazette of Extremadura (DOE), no. 204, of October 22, 2026, section I, Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Environment (official reference: 2026062626).