Strict new controls restricting the movement of pork and pork
products into Great Britain to help safeguard Britain’s pigs from
the threat of African swine fever (ASF) have been announced today
(Wednesday 31 August 2022).
African swine fever poses no risk to human health, but is a
highly contagious disease for pigs and wild boar. In recent
months it has been spreading in mainland Europe leading to the
deaths of thousands of pigs and causing significant disruption to
the meat trade. With no vaccine available, the disease poses a
significant risk to our domestic pig herd and our long-term
ability to export pork and other pork products around the globe.
The new control, which comes into force from Thursday 1 September
2022, will strengthen the requirements for bringing pork and pork
products into Great Britain from the European Union (EU) and
European Free Trade Association states. It will no longer be
legal to bring pork or pork products weighing over two kilograms,
unless they are produced to the EU’s commercial standards. This
does not apply to commercial imports, which remain unaffected by
the control.
This action comes following the publication of a new risk assessment,
conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, which recognises
that the chance that the ASF virus may be brought into Great
Britain stands at ‘medium risk’. It found that the most likely
way the virus could be introduced to Great Britain is by a member
of the public bringing pork or pork products back from an
ASF-affected country. This measure will help limit possibly
infected pig meat being brought into Great Britain through
various means, such as in passengers’ luggage or in vehicles.
Biosecurity Minister Benyon said:
“An outbreak of African swine fever is one of the biggest threats
our pig industry faces today. We are not complacent and this
decisive and proportionate action will stop the entry of pork
products that pose the greatest risk. It is essential we maintain
the highest levels of biosecurity and all visitors to the UK will
need to abide by these new regulations.”
UK’s Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Richard Irvine said:
“If African swine fever ever reached the UK it would have a
severe and damaging impact on our pigs and pig industry. A single
outbreak of this highly infectious disease would also harm
relations with our trading partners and threaten the livelihoods
of thousands of our pig farmers.
“We are taking this action to limit the risk of disease spreading
by banning people bringing in high-risk pork and pork products
that could carry this virus until further notice. Everyone can do
their bit to help stop animal diseases spreading to this country
by simply not bringing pork and other meats onto our shores.”
Welsh Government Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and
Trefnydd, said:
“African swine fever is a highly fatal viral disease which is a
major threat to our pig industry. Although not present in the UK,
it is spreading across Europe and this timely action is important
in helping to prevent the disease reaching our shores. We
continue to monitor the international situation very closely and
review our disease control tools.”
Everyone can help to stop the spread of ASF to the UK by doing
the following:
- If you are visiting non-EU countries, you must not bring any
pork or pork products back to the UK.
- If you are visiting EU or EFTA countries (Switzerland,
Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein), you must not bring pork or
pork products which are over 2kg unless they meet EU commercial
production standards.
- Disposing of leftovers or food waste in secure bins that pigs
or wildlife cannot access.
- Farmers, the public and members of the food industry should
practice high biosecurity standards, including never feeding
catering waste, kitchen scraps or meat products to pigs, which is
illegal and can spread the disease.
The government continually monitors disease outbreaks around the
world to assess whether there may be risks for the UK and takes
action to limit the risk of the disease reaching our shores.
