June 9, 2014

Live pig imports from the United States and Canada to the European Union (EU) will be tested by EU member states  for porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) virus, reported Reuters.

Just last month, the EU set down import requirements on pig blood products that may be used for feeding piglets, stating that they need to be treated at 80 degrees followed by storage for six weeks at room temperature.

In a statement, the EU executive, said the temporary testing was to protect the EU pig industry from PED, which has plagued the United States and pushed pork prices to record highs.

The European Union does not need to import pigs for food as it produces 22 million tonnes of pig meat annually, more than enough for EU needs. Despite that, the United States and Canada exported 900 breeders to the European Union in 2013, the Commission said.

The EU executive has also asked the European Food Safety Authority to research new strains of the virus, which it said will enable a more thorough review of the disease situation and risk mitigation measures.