PORK
Pork import data highlights New Zealand pork sector’s high health status New Zealand’s commercial pig herd has high health status and is free of the diseases that are proving very damaging to pork industries in many other countries. However, in the six months to April 2020, over 22 million kilos of pork was imported into New Zealand from countries impacted by pig diseases. WORDS & IMAGE SUPPLIED BY NZ PORK
NZ Pork Chief Executive David Baines says that while biosecurity services take the safety of our pork sector very seriously and New Zealand does not import live pigs, imports from affected countries still pose a risk. Disease-causing viruses can be spread via infected meat, so anyone keeping pigs, even just one or two, needs to be aware of the legal requirements around feeding scraps. “These disease-causing viruses can come into New Zealand on imported pig meat,” says Mr Baines. “It is illegal to feed any pigs waste food containing meat products or
food that has come into contact with meat unless it has been heated to 100 degrees Celsius for one hour.” Twelve per cent of the total 22.5 million kg of imported pork came from countries with known or suspected cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) and 78 per cent from countries with known or suspected cases of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). ASF has already resulted in the death of at least a quarter of the world’s domestic pigs, including around 220 million in China. PRRS is considered the most economically damaging disease to affect USA pig production in the last 50 years. “These diseases are not harmful to humans,” says Mr Baines. “But if infected pork or scraps that have come into contact with infected pork are not heat-treated in the required way, then there is a risk diseases, particularly ASF, could spread to the national pig herd.” Other pig diseases affecting or potentially affecting countries importing pork to New Zealand, include Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Aujeszky’s Disease (ADV) and Classical Swine Fever (CSF). A total of 41,742kg of pig meat was also imported from China, which is actively affected by all these diseases. Of the 21
countries that imported pork products into New Zealand, only Australia, which exported just over 1,350,000 kg to New Zealand, was, like New Zealand, free of all of these pig diseases. New Zealand’s pork sector is worth about $700 million a year to the economy. Pork consumption is growing rapidly here. On average, Kiwis eat 23.46kg of pork per capita each year—8.81kg of NZ-produced pork and 14.65kg of imported meat. “Over 95% of commercial pig farms in New Zealand are certified under the PigCareTM programme,” says Mr Baines. “PigCareTM is an annual on-farm animal welfare-based audit that ensures farms meet the requirements of the Code of Welfare and animal welfare regulations. New Zealand pig farming is governed by much higher welfare standards than most of the countries exporting pork products to New Zealand. “By looking out for the PigCareTM labelling, shoppers can identify pork products that come from pigs born and reared in New Zealand to these exacting health and welfare standards.” For further information on treating waste food prior to feeding it to pigs, see www.mpi.govt.nz
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