Several countries halt German pork imports over swine fever concerns

Countries including China, Japan and South Korea have halted pork imports from Germany following a confirmed case of African swine fever in the European nation.

As of 15 September, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina and Singapore have also halted pork imports from the country as a precautionary measure.

Germany confirmed last week that a wild boar in the state of Brandenberg has been infected with the disease, after its corpse was discovered on Thursday.

While not dangerous to humans, African swine fever is deadly for pigs and wild boar, and there is currently no vaccine or medication to treat it.

China’s import ban began on 11 September, and it applies to both direct and indirect purchases of hog, boar and related products from Germany, according to a statement from China’s general administration of customs. The agency also announced that it would destroy or return all German pork shipments which started after 11 September, and strengthen quarantine over deliveries that began before the date.

Germany is the third-largest supplier of pork to China, and the market accounts for almost two-thirds of Germany’s total pork exports, worth approximately €1 billion a year.

In a statement on Monday, German officials said they were now negotiating with officials in Japan, China, and South Korea in an effort to turn the nationwide bans into restrictions on specific German regions. This would reportedly allow producers in several German regions to continue their exports.

No new cases of African swine fever have been reported in Germany since Thursday.