Pork Brought to Australia Confirmed to Contain ASF

Officials in Australia say six pork products brought to the nation’s airports have tested positive for African swine fever. The testing was done through routine border checks at Australian airports and mail processing centers as they were about to enter the country. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports that two weeks of testing by the Australian Animal Health Laboratory uncovered six pork products among 152 seized and tested that were contaminated with the ASF virus. The detection does not change Australia’s ASF-free status, but does serve as a warning that “the threat of ASF spreading to Australia remains serious.” Australia has an estimated 2,500 pig farmers and 36,000 pork supply chain workers. African swine fever outbreaks in China, meanwhile, have reached 24 provinces and have resulted in the culling of more than 900,000 pigs since late last summer.