Page 6 - Australian Pork Newspaper

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The author enjoyed this pork offal hotpot two years ago while visiting Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province. China’s pig herd has been at least halved since ASF struck in August last year. Sichuan is one of the provinces impacted.
ASF messaging needs massaging
OUR defences against African swine fever are seemingly being cranked up at last.
Federal Agriculture Minister Bridget McKen- zie reported on Novem- ber 25 that what she calls ‘Operation Conway’ was a month-long saturation exercise that screened all passengers and crew from identified flights for pork products and other bio- security risk material.
More than 1000 pas- sengers and crew were screened using X-ray, manual inspection and detector dogs across five flights originating from countries with confirmed cases of ASF.
Twenty-eight infringe- ments and 17 written warnings were issued during the operation, with 44kg of risk prod- ucts seized, including 12kg of pork, chicken and beef products.
Of pork products seized and sent for ASF testing, 22 percent returned posi-
yards are needed. Australian Government
border interception statis- tics between November 5, 2018 and August 31, 2019 make for truly frighten- ing reading, with more than 27 tonnes of pork intercepted on air travel- lers entering Australia, as follows:
be injected into all such coverage, whether that be from the journalists or by the organisation mes- senger or those being in- terviewed.
It’s particularly incum- bent on organisations such as Australian Pork Limited nationally and state bodies such as West Australian Pork Produc- ers’ Association here in the west, to ensure its spokespersons always add the ‘no food fear’ rider when talking ASF.
Critically, it also needs to be pointed out that Denmark, Canada and the US, countries we import frozen pork from and some of which goes into Christmas hams, do not have ASF.
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation just hap- pens to agree, listing the following as one of its 10 recommendations regard- ing ASF for countries of the region: ‘Commu- nication to public is to be in place to avoid the rumours leading to food safety perceptions and consumption disruption’.
While all efforts and resources need to be on preventing ASF from reaching Australia, it must be acknowledged there is already potential damage being done to our industry, especially pork processors and small- goods businesses, simply
☛ continued P8
Cant Comment by BRENDON CANT
tive results.
While Operation Con-
way is a step in the right direction, with the sheer volume of illegally im- ported pork coming into Australia it is but a short step when hard, fast
• 1.3 tonnes at Adelaide Airport.
While the above is alarm- ing and indicates the Aus- tralian Government needs to step up its resources and messaging targeting inbound tourists, I have of late been banging on about local consumer messaging that I think needs to get out there at every opportunity.
The message is that ASF is not a threat to hu- man health as it is a non- zoonotic disease.
This is, it is a disease of animals that does not infect humans.
I believe this is espe- cially important as we head into Christmas, as it seems every story in the media about Christ- mas ham prices heading north mentions the global impact of ASF on pork supply and demand.
An appropriate food safety qualifier needs to
• 11 tonnes Airport;
at Sydney
•7.7 tonnes at Mel- bourne Airport;
• 3.9 tonnes at Brisbane Airport;
• 2.7 tonnes Airport; and
at Perth
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Page 6 – Australian Pork Newspaper, December 2019
www.porknews.com.au
Though the author travels regularly to Bali, spend- ing time with partner and yoga teacher Maree din- ing vegetarian in Ubud, he was as happy as a pig in you know what when he came across this quirky little butcher shop in Ubud. Unconfirmed information about swine deaths continues in Indonesia, with the FAO reporting more than 9000 pigs were said to have died in North Sumatra.
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