31 Aug 2022
New restrictions preventing non-commercial imports of more than two kilogrammes are necessary to reduce the risk of the disease entering Britain, officials say.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Defra has announced new pork import restrictions, which are due to come into force tomorrow (1 September), amid fears over the spread of African swine fever (ASF).
Officials said the disease has already killed thousands of pigs across Europe in recent months and tougher rules are now necessary to protect British herds.
Although there is no risk to human health, the disease is highly contagious among pigs and wild boar.
The new restrictions make it illegal to import pork or pork products weighing more than two kilogrammes into Great Britain from EU or European Free Trade Association member states, unless they have been produced to EU commercial standards. The rules do not apply to commercial imports.
The move follows a new risk assessment from the APHA, which concluded the overall risk of ASF being brought into Great Britain was “medium”.
But it added that “because of the regular detection of outbreaks and wild boar cases in new areas as a result of human-mediated routes, this particular pathway is now considered to be high”.
Most of the latest outbreaks have been reported in Germany and Italy.
Deputy CVO 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 on to our shores.”
Biosecurity minister Lord 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.”
