Deadly pork disease threat
Pig farmers fear the deadly African swine fever (ASF) disease might enter New Zealand through pork imported from Europe and China, putting at risk a $750 million industry.
The disease is sweeping across the globe after first being reported in Lithuania in 2014, swiftly followed by outbreaks in Poland, Latvia and Estonia that year. It is now in 10 European countries.
Last month it reached China, home of more than half the world’s pigs. New Zealand imports pork from 25 countries, including Poland, Estonia and China.
North Otago farmer Ian Carter said he found it ‘‘bizarre’’ that while the disease was spreading fast, New Zealand did not place stricter controls over imports. ‘‘We are in this wonderful position where we’ve got this huge amount of sea surrounding us which protects us from disease.’’
New Zealand Pork chairman Eric Roy said the industry was asking for the Government to step up surveillance of the spread of the disease and consider more stringent controls of pork imported from affected countries.
In echoes of the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis, ASF presents no risk to humans, but for pigs it is often fatal. Once the disease is detected, entire herds need to be culled to prevent further spread of the infection.
The Ministry for Primary Industries said any pork imported from countries in Europe in which ASF had been reported, had to be treated to inactivate the disease.
Exporters had to meet New Zealand’s import health standard for human consumption before it could land. So far this year, almost 53,000 kilograms of pork products were imported.