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African swine flu threatening New Zealand pork industry

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 21 Nov 2019, 6:24PM
(Photo / SXC)

African swine flu threatening New Zealand pork industry

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 21 Nov 2019, 6:24PM

New Zealand pork producers are on high alert as African swine flu creeps toward the border.

Over 131 million pigs have been culled in China since the first case more than a year ago.

NZ Pork General Manager David Baines told Heather Du Plessis-Allan if it got here, it would devastate the industry.

"There's no cure and there's no vaccine, so the only way of managing the problem is eradicating the herds. Obviously a drastic solution, and one we are keen to avoid at all costs."

He says the disease stays active in meat - and 60 percent of our pork comes from overseas.

"We're importing a lot of disease through legal means, there's also the illegal means. People may bring the food products with them when travelling through New Zealand, or it might come through the post and parcel vector."

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