Brussels, 07/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 6 May, the EU took measures to prevent a new variant of porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) from reaching its territory. However, it did not suspend its imports of live pigs and semen, as called for by France, the European Commission has announced.
With a PED epidemic sweeping North America, particularly the United States, and Asia, the animal health experts of the 28 member states decided to impose specific treatment (heating and storage for six weeks) for imports of pig blood products (porcine plasma and dried blood), the Commission announced. This measure will make it possible to neutralise viruses which may contaminate these derivative products, porcine plasma and dried blood, which are used for animal feed. At the same time, the American and Canadian authorities have undertaken not to export live pigs to the European Union until the situation can be re-examined at European level and not before the next meeting of the Assembly of the World Animal Health Organisation (known by its French acronym, OIE), which will meet in Paris from 25 to 30 of this month.
At the forefront of this issue, French Agriculture Minister Stéphane le Foll welcomed this decision of the EU for “protection at the borders”. “Additional measures will be adopted if required, depending on how the sanitary situation develops”, he added, quoted in a press release (our translation).
The experts have postponed until June any decision to suspend imports of live pigs, as no consignments are currently scheduled. Imports from the US are marginal, at around 250 animals a year. The same experts also felt that, for now, the sanitary measures currently in force on imports of pig semen are sufficient. France took the lead in its announcement on Friday that it planned to suspend imports of live pigs, semen and porcine sub-products from the United States, Canada, Japan and Mexico. However, it froze the entry into force of this measure pending the European decision. PED, which cannot be passed on to humans, affects livestock through oral contact with contaminated stools. Having first appeared in the 1970s, it has currently been spreading in a new, more virulent form since April 2013 in the United States and Canada and, since the end of 2013, in Mexico and Japan. The disease has already killed more than five million pigs in the United States, which has driven prices up. (LC)