An outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) could severely impact the UK's £8 billion pig industry and its annual pork exports, valued at £600 million. The estimated cost of such an outbreak could range from £10 million to £100 million. 

Passengers travelling to GB can no longer bring in pork and pork products from the EEA (European Economic Area), the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Switzerland unless:   

• Such products are produced and packaged to EU commercial standards and weigh less than a maximum of 2kg.  
• This does not apply to commercial imports, which remain unaffected by the control. More information: Immediate measures to step up safeguards against African swine fever from Europe - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

Biosecurity Minister, Baroness Hayman highlighted that African swine fever (ASF) is causing severe damage across Europe. New measures are being introduced to protect UK pig farmers and pork products by preventing the import of infected meat. 

The UK has never experienced an ASF outbreak, with routine checks on commercial meat imports at the border. DEFRA prioritises preventing an ASF outbreak and regularly reviews policies on personal meat and dairy imports, working closely with devolved governments on contingency plans. 

Anyone found illegally bringing pork products into England could face a £5,000 fine, and the products could be seized and destroyed. DEFRA is also investing £3.1 million in Dover Port Health Authority for 2024/25 to support the Border Force in preventing illegal meat imports. 

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a disease which mainly affects farmed pigs.  It is highly contagious amongst pigs and is almost always fatal for animals once contracted. Currently, there is no cure or treatment available. Infection control relies on sanitary measures to prevent the introduction of the virus into pig farms, as once the virus reaches a farm, the only way to control the spread of the disease is to cull the infected animals and those exposed to the virus, followed by quarantining the entire farm for over three months.   

The virus originated in Sub-Saharan Africa, and ASF has been identified in 74 countries, with outbreaks recorded in Africa, The Americas (not yet mainland USA), Asia and Europe. When introduced to mainland Europe, ASF swept across the continent at a rapid pace.  It is mostly spread through infected pork products, which do not affect human health.   

Pig farmers in the UK have been calling for greater assurances that border checks on meat coming in from the European Union (EU) are being conducted properly as the number of African Swine Fever cases has reached a 10-year high. 

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