Swill is any food waste containing meat or other animal products of by-products, apart from Australian milk by-products that is fed to pigs.

According to Weekly Times Now, Victorian Department of Primary Industries principal animal health officer Gerry Watt said the department had surveyed over 600 food waste outlets across the state and found most were aware it is an offence to supply food waste containing meat or contaminated by meat to anyone to feed to pigs.

“Any livestock owners suspected of feeding banned material to pigs will be followed up to ensure the practice ceases, immediately,” he said.

“In many countries swill feeding is used as a cheap source of food for pigs, however, this is a very dangerous practice, and is banned in Australia.

“Swill feeding has been shown to cause outbreaks of serious diseases overseas. The 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in the United Kingdom was started by swill feeding infected material to pigs costing the country billions of pounds and the farming community great heartache.

Mr Watt said Australia was fortunate to be free of many serious diseases of livestock such as Foot and Mouth Disease and Classical Swine.

“An exotic disease outbreak would severely affect the livestock industries and the Australian economy,” he said.

“Feeding of infected and illegally imported meat or dairy product scraps to pigs is seen as the most likely way in which an exotic disease could be introduced into Australia.”