The UK’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that immediate measures have been introduced to “protect pig farmers and industry” from an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.
From tomorrow (Friday, September 27) personal imports of pork and pork products from the EEA (European Economic Area), the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Switzerland will be banned.
According to Defra products which are manufactured and packaged to EU commercial standards and weigh less than a maximum of 2kg will be exempt from the ban.
Anyone who is found to bring pork or pork products illegally may be fined up to £5,000 in England. All products will also be seized and destroyed on arrival.
The department has again highlighted that ASF is a “highly contagious and deadly disease in pigs and wild boar that can be transmitted through infected meat, but poses no risk to human health”.
The UK has not had an outbreak of ASF, and commercial meat imports are routinely checked at borders to “ensure infected goods do not reach UK shores”.
African swine fever
Defra has warned that an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) could have a “significant impact on the UK’s £8 billion pig industry” and its annual annual pork and pork product exports worth £600 million.
“It is estimated that an outbreak could cost the UK between £10 million to £100 million,” the department said.
Defra said today that preventing an outbreak of ASF in the UK remains one of its ” key biosecurity priorities”.
It detailed that it keeps policy on personal meat and dairy imports “under constant review” and works closely with devolved governments on contingency planning and preventing “an incursion from infected goods”.
The UK Biosecurity Minister, Baroness Hayman said ASF is “a deadly disease wrecking havoc in Europe”.
The minister added: “These new measures will protect British pig farmers and pork products, preventing infected meat from being brought over the border and threatening our biosecurity”.
