EU counters deadly US pig virus with stricter import rules

EurActiv ^ | 07/05/2014 - 08:22 (May 7) | (EurActiv with Reuters)

[Olog-hai]

The European Commission has approved new rules aimed at limiting the spread of a virus that has killed millions of piglets in the United States, highlighting the risk of animal feed products as a potential transmission agent.

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) has wiped out more than 10% of the US pig population since it appeared a year ago, and has also struck in Canada, Mexico and Japan. The European Union has not been affected by this strain.

In the United States, the world’s biggest pork exporter, losses from PEDv could cut pork production as much as 7% in 2014, according to research firm Rabobank, much steeper than government estimates of a 2% fall.

While the Commission stopped short of an outright ban of pig byproducts, which France considered, the new rules include a requirement that any pig blood products imported to the European Union for use in pig feed must have been treated at 80 degrees Celsius and then kept in storage for six weeks at room temperature to ensure any PEDv is deactivated. …

[moovova]

More bacon for us.

[Gay State Conservative]

If there's convincing evidence that this problem does,in fact,exist and that it represents a potential problem then it's understandable that they do it.And the reverse would also be true...if their livestock is unhealthy in some way then *we* should ban it.I think that Europeans still clearly remember Mad Cow Disease...which devastated their cattle and dairy industries.