Spain suspends sheep and frozen meat exports to Morocco

Spain has temporarily suspended exports of live sheep and frozen meat to Morocco due to animal health concerns, according to Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Luis Planas. The announcement was made during a press conference in Cordoba on September 24.

While the specific disease and the exact timeline for resuming shipments have not been disclosed, the interruption affects a critical market. Morocco is a major destination for Spanish livestock; in 2024, Spain exported 794,585 live sheep to Morocco, accounting for 51.3% of its total sheep exports. Even with recent volume decreases, the Moroccan market represented 32.9% of Spain's foreign sales.

Spanish professional organizations are urging the government to intensify communications with Moroccan authorities to restore trade. This suspension follows a previous halt in live cattle exports to Morocco that began in early 2026, which was linked to contagious nodular dermatosis in northeastern Spain, though no official link has been established between that event and the current sheep export suspension.