Catalonia subsidizes wild boar captures to curb African swine fever.

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food has approved Order ARP/142/2026, of 27 July, which establishes the regulatory bases for aid to promote wild boar captures and the marketing of their meat as a tool to prevent and combat African swine fever (ASF). The regulation is published in the Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC) No. 9719, of 30 July 2026, and enters into force the day after its publication. It is signed by the Minister Òscar Ordeig i Molist.

The order repeals the previous bases, approved by Order ACC/125/2024, of 30 May (DOGC No. 9175), and falls within the ARP0049 aid line of the department’s Strategic Grants Plan 2025-2028. The text recalls that the captures respond to the official declaration of African swine fever in Catalonia, against which the Government approved Agreement GOV/278/2025, of 9 December, with urgent measures to contain, prevent and mitigate infections. The aid is granted under a non-competitive procedure, without comparing applications and according to the funds available for each call.

Two actions, six aid lines

The aid is structured into two actions: promoting wild boar hunting and bringing its meat into the marketing and consumption circuit. Within the first there are two lines:

• Line 1.1. Survival of hunting societies and associations: general expenses (insurance, hunting dogs, social premises, vehicles) of non-profit entities affected by hunting restrictions of three months or more due to health emergencies and based in the affected area.
• Line 1.2. Wild boar capture: captures intended for marketing and captures for ASF control when marketing is not possible due to health restrictions; captures for domestic consumption or self-consumption are excluded.

The second action covers the entire circuit up to consumption:

• Line 2.1. Transport of captured wild boar from the point of capture to a game meat logistical point (PLCC) or a game meat handling establishment (EMCC).
• Line 2.2. Reception and conditioning of wild boar at PLCCs, with collaboration in taking health samples for the wildlife health surveillance plan.
• Line 2.3. Management of SANDACH waste (animal by-products not intended for human consumption) from all wild boar hunted in Catalonia, whether or not suitable for marketing.
• Line 2.4. Investments in PLCCs, to bring new ones into operation and improve existing ones.

Who can apply for the aid

Hunting societies and associations, holders of hunting grounds under special regime, and the owners or managing entities of PLCC may be beneficiaries, provided they comply with Decree 9/2019 on wild game intended for consumption and, in the case of PLCC, Royal Decree 50/2018 on animal by-products. Entities sanctioned by final decision for very serious infringements in animal health are excluded.

Deadlines, amounts and processing

The maximum amount and budget allocation will be set by each call, which will also determine the deadlines for execution and justification. Aid to companies is governed by the de minimis regime of Regulation (EU) 2023/2831, with an accumulated limit of €300,000 per company over three years. Applications are submitted electronically through Gencat Procedures or Canal Empresa, and notifications are published on the Generalitat’s electronic notice board.

What the PLCC investment line finances

Eligible for funding are the drafting of the project and construction works for new points, equipment for hanging carcasses, cold rooms with overhead rails, smooth and impermeable floors, drinking water points, drains, sealed containers, as well as the installation of solar panels or other renewable energy systems.

With these bases, the Government aims to reduce the density of wild boar, one of the main transmission routes of ASF to pig farms, while also making use of the captured meat so that carcasses do not remain in the environment. For hunters and PLCC managers, the call implementing the order will be key to learning the specific amounts and deadlines for requesting the aid.

Source: Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC), No. 9719, of 30 July 2026, Section I – Provisions (official reference: Order ARP/142/2026, of 27 July; No. 26.209.038).