Mexico bans US live hog imports on PED outbreak

June 27, 2013

In light of the recent porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) virus outbreak, Mexico has officially prohibited US live hog imports, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (Sagarpa) said in a press release.

This ban only applies to live animal and does not affect shipment of US pork to Mexico, according to US officials.

All hogs imported before May 17 are under quarantine and extreme vigilance, despite the low possibility for the disease.The virus has not be detected in Mexico and imports of US hogs would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, said Mexico's agricultural ministry.

Mexico has launched preventive actions with the National Service of Health, Food Safety and Food Quality of Mexico (Senasica) asking the USDA for technical information on the PED outbreak and its risk mitigation strategies and implemented increased epidemiological surveillance of hog farms to identify any abnormal increase in pig mortality.

The Senasica is inspecting locations where pigs have been imported into Mexico during the last three months. To date they have reported no cases of the disease.

On May 17, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) identified PED in the US, and it has now been confirmed in 13 states. The Mexican Minister of Agriculture, Enrique Martinez y Martinez, requested continuous communication with the USDA to carry out subsequent epidemiological research.

PED, a common disease among hog livestock, is usually transmitted through infected animals or contaminated equipment. It is more severe among new born piglets.

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