New Zealand’s pork industry could be under serious threat should African swine fever enter the country. Despite calls from the industry, however, The Ministry for Primary Industries has made no plans to ban the import of pork from affected countries. The disease has been spreading rapidly in Asia, so much so that more than 1.1 million animals have been destroyed on Chinese farms to try and stop the spread.
The disease, which causes internal bleeding and high fever in pigs, is incurable. And while we have a high-quality pork industry, this could be rattled should the disease make it to our shores. Although there are no plans to stop imports, The Ministry for Primary Industries said that they are monitoring the situation very closely and will revise their rules should the situation change.
Around 60 percent of the pork eaten in New Zealand is imported from overseas, countries including China, Denmark, Spain, Estonia and Poland.
