Pig meat export ban eased

- Published: 04 October, 2007

News that exports of pig meat can restart from parts of the UK is a small step on the road back to normality says the British Pig Executive (BPEX).

But it does still leave a large proportion of the industry out in the cold said BPEX chief executive Mick Sloyan.

He added the move, welcome though it was, left the problem of cull sows mostly untouched.

Following a SCoFCAH meeting in Brussels yesterdya Defra has announced exports of meat and meat products can restart from 12 October after the country was split into three areas but it is dependent on there being no further outbreaks.

Exports are to be allowed from the area designated FMD Low Risk Area - limited trade.

Sloyan said: "While this is good news for those in the low risk area it is not so good for the rest and that amounts to some 48% of the English breeding herd.

"The problem of cull sows still remains though. The key abattoirs that slaughter them are in the high risk area and virtually all the meat is normally exported to Germany. There simply isn't a market for it in this country.

"We understand the caution being expressed by the EU and hope the area still banned from exporting can be reduced as soon as possible."

A map showing how the country has been divided is available on the BPEX

website at

http://www.bpex.org/technical/diseaseManagement/pdf/FMD-exports_map.pdf