Pork industry urged to police itself against contagious swine disease
NEW ZEALAND - Biosecurity New Zealand says the pork industry will have to police itself to ensure no pig meat is fed to pigs if it wants to minimise the risk of introducing a devastating swine disease.The comments follow concerns from an animal health expert, who says there is a risk that Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, or PRRS, could enter the country on imported pig meat.
PRRS can result in outbreaks of abortion, the death of piglets and respiratory disease in pigs of all ages.
Currently imported pork products have to be treated or frozen, which eliminates the disease risk. Biosecurity is proposing to change the import health standards for pig meat to allow chilled pig meat into the country.
Massey University animal health professor Roger Morris is strongly opposed to that. He says PRRS is highly contagious and there is a risk it could be spread through infected pig meat being fed to pigs even though that is illegal.