Japanese officials have suspended all pork exports from the country following news of a Classical Swine Fever (CSF) outbreak at a 610-pig farm in Gifu province.
Officials confirmed the incident on September 9, with culling now complete on the affected farm, and movement restrictions applied within 3km and 10km zones.
To date, the Japanese Veterinary Services have ruled out the occurrence of African Swine Fever (ASF) in this outbreak or the country. The last incidence of CSF in Japan was in 1992.
Classical Swine Fever
CSF is considered endemic in many countries, including China and other countries in south-east Asia, and commercial vaccines are available for CSF control.
CSF has not been reported in the EU for several years, and only sporadically in western Russia.
The last outbreak in Japan was in 1992 in Kumamoto Prefecture, and in 2007 the use of vaccination was banned, and the disease was declared eradicated in the country.
The disease-free status was adopted at the World Assembly of Delegates in May 2015 but this has now been suspended.
It’s thought that the very early detection of the disease may be partially due to the increased awareness in Japan in response to the ASF outbreaks in China.
Just last week, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warned that ASF was almost certain to spread from China to other Asian countries and this has prompted the heightened awareness.
The source of the virus in Japan is unknown and currently under investigation.
Exports of pork have been suspended by the Japanese Government until the Japanese Veterinary Services understand the extent of the outbreak, and investigate possible routes of introduction.
Japan does not export pork into the EU.
Conclusions
A UK Government report said the risk to the British pig herd remains “very low”.
It read: “Currently, we consider there to be a negligible likelihood of introduction of CSF virus from Japan to the UK via legal trade as a result of this outbreak.
The risk level for the UK is very low for an incursion from any endemic region, because of the potential for infected pig meat or contaminated items to be introduced via passengers or through illegal trade.
“We continue to emphasise the importance of prompt reporting of suspect disease in pigs, and the implementation and maintenance of appropriate biosecurity measures, particularly considering the risk of disease spread by fomite transmission and strict compliance with the swill feeding ban.”
