ILLEGALLY imported pork is posing a massive threat to the Australian pork industry after the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) revealed some of the meat tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF).
Australian Pork Limited (APL) chairman David Lock said it was lucky the products sent to or carried in by Chinese students were destined for predominantly urban areas that were isolated or removed from where pigs were located or produced.
"The Federal government is taking ASF very seriously at our borders," Mr Lock said.
"There has been almost 20,000 interceptions of undeclared pork products and of those that were tested 11pc proved positive for ASF.
"That's a significant amount that has been brought in and a real worry to the industry."
ASF has had a devastating impact on pork production in China, which consumes 50 per cent of the world's pork meat.
Some experts estimate that ASF could have infected between 10-40pc of China's herd although no official data has been released.
According to the latest statistics, since China confirmed its first outbreak in August 2018, 139 ASF outbreaks have been detected in 32 provinces and regions across the country.
More than 1.2 million pigs have been culled so far in an effort to halt further spreading, however that could rise to as much as 200m by the end of the year according to predictions.
Efforts to prevent the spread of the disease may have already failed as outbreaks have been reported in Hong Kong, Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos and now Cambodia.
Mr Lock said more than 20pc of the Chinese herd had been affected, which represented 4-5pc of global meat production.
"That's 20 million tonnes of meat," Mr Lock said.
He said Chinese consumers were reverting to chicken and seafood, which were part of their staple diet, with beef and lamb as alternatives.
"They have been importing more meat," he said.
"The full impact hasn't hit yet but it will over a period of time."
China has reportedly committed about $15 million to researching the virus to come up with a vaccine.
Mr Lock said Australia was still working on protocols to export pork meat to China, although "Australia is not a strategic volume supplier to China".
"We produce 500,000t as a country.
"In relation to the 20mt, we are nothing - but there is an opportunity to supply niche markets."
Mr Lock said the spread of ASF into other Asian nations only "exacerbated" the problem of containment and created the need of greater vigilance.
Since Mongolia reported its first incident in January 2019, 11 outbreaks in six provinces and in Ulaanbaatar have been reported, involving 105 farms/households.
More than 3115 pigs, more than 10pc of the total pig population in Mongolia have died or been destroyed due to the outbreaks.
Vietnam confirmed its ASF outbreaks in February 2019 with a total of 58 provinces/cities affected.
The rapid spread of the virus has seen more than 2.6m pigs culled across Vietnam to date.
Cambodia confirmed its first ASF outbreak in April with more than 2400 pigs having died or been culled.
Mr Lock said the virus spreads quickly and Australia relied on its strict biosecurity standards to maintain its ASF-free status.
"We rely on early detection and reporting infectious diseases," Mr Lock said.
"We need to educate people entering the country, enforce our border security and increase the penalties for those that violate the law."
A DAWR spokesperson said the department had increased its intervention at the border, "targeting high risk products at international airports and mail processing centres".
"In addition, increased border activities included testing a sample of pork products seized at international airports and mail processing centres over a two week period in December 2018, and again between January and February 2019 for ASF and FMD virus," the spokesperson said.
"The testing was conducted at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong.
"The first round of test results from December 3 to 17, 2018, showed that six pork products from 152 tested were contaminated with ASF virus fragments - only shelf stable products were tested in this round.
"A further round of testing from January 20 to February 3 was expanded to include fresh and frozen products - 40 out of 283 pork products tested positive for ASF virus fragments."
DAWR said while the test results showed some of the pork products seized at international airports and international mail centres were contaminated with ASF, "two samples were also found to be contaminated with Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus fragments".
"The detection of virus fragments does not change Australia's ASF or FMD free status," DAWR said.
"It shows that our system is working and reinforces the importance of continued compliance with our biosecurity requirements."
DAWR said between January 1 and May 31, 2019, more than 16t of pork and pork-related commodities were intercepted at international mail facilities and airports around the country, about 1.5t less than for the same period in 2018.
"Of the total interceptions during 2019, 1.5t was at the Perth airport and mail facility," DAWR said.
DAWR said in light of the changing distribution of ASF in Asia and parts of Europe, it had undertaken additional activities to ensure that its biosecurity measures continued to protect Australia from exotic diseases.
"This includes increased screening measures at international airports and mail processing centres," the spokesperson said.
"The department has also been working closely with States and Territories, as well as industry."
ASF has never occurred in Australia, and we have been free from FMD since 1872.
"It is crucial that Australia remains free from both ASF and FMD, and the department is committed to minimising the risks of these exotic diseases entering Australia," DAWR said.
"We all have a role in preventing exotic diseases, like ASF and FMD, arriving in Australia - even if we don't own or work around farm animals."
Ian Blayney, who up until a reshuffle last week, was the Liberal Agriculture spokesman, recently in State parliament recently that biosecurity was "absolutely a number one priority".
"We certainly said so when we were in government," Mr Blayney said.
"It is absolutely critical.
"If members have been following the African Swine Fever outbreak in China that is happening at the moment, they will know it has been absolutely devastating to the Chinese pig herd, and it has now moved into Vietnam.
"If that ever gets into Australia, it will be devastating to our pork industry, because there will be nothing that can be done apart from eliminating all the pigs within a certain number of kilometres of any outbreak.
"We have to do everything we possibly can to make sure that does not get into Australia.
"I hope that the State and Federal government are conscious of that."
