March 4, 2014

Australian pork producers remain opposed to importing raw pork on concerns of biosecurity, according to a report by ABC.

Currently, Australia permits only processed pork products like bacon, salami and prosciutto.

New Zealand's gates opened in December when the Court of Appeal found that the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries had followed the correct decision-making process before allowing imports of raw pork from countries where the disease Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is present.

The Australian pig industry maintains that changes to New Zealand's import standards should not open the raw pork import door in Australia.

Australian Pork Limited research and innovation manager Darryl D'Souza said that fresh pork should not enter Australia for a variety of reasons.

"One being, our risks as far as imported pork go are quite different from New Zealand," he said.

For example, Australia has issues with swill feeding. Australia also has large populations of feral pigs that migrate extensively which are not only a risk to the pork industry but potentially to other livestock industries as well.

D'Souza elaborated, "We have got a small working group that has the federal government and other experts involved and our collective view is that the science (of biosecurity) hasn't changed to warrant any change to our protocol."

Future funding of quarantine in Tasmania is being debated in the lead up to the Tasmanian election, with an AUD700,000 (US$623,980) federal funding agreement with the state about to expire mid-year.