Defra confirms regionalisation agreement with Spain, after ASF outbtreak

Defra has confirmed it has implemented a regionalisation agreement with Spain, following confirmation on Friday of its first case of African swine fever since 1994.

Defra initially announced that all fresh pork and other affected products from Spain would be held at Border Control Posts until further notice, and that it would continue to monitor the situation and keep all measures under review.

Today, a further notice has been added confirming regionalisation measures. It stated: “Regionalisation measures and restrictions for ASF in Spain have now been implemented and reflected in the relevant third-country lists, following confirmation of the restricted zones by the Spanish authorities.

“This means that trade from outside the restricted zones can now resume as normal and trade from within the restricted zones is restricted (live porcines and fresh porcine meat) or subject to additional conditions (meat products). Porcine semen is restricted from the entire territory of Spain.”

The government’s list of approved exporters to the UK have been updated, as below:

• live porcines – Live+Ungulates.pdf
• porcine semen – Porcine+Semen.pdf
• porcine meat – Fresh+Meat+of+Ungulates.pdf
• porcine meat products – Meat+Products.pdf

Defra states that OVs must apply the regionalisation measures and restrictions to:

• consignments of live porcines, porcine semen, and porcine meat or meat products from Spain currently held at ports.
• any future consignments received at ports.

It adds that these measures are the same as for any other EU Member State with ASF.

Farming Today interview

You can hear NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson discussing Spain’s ASF outbreak, including how it might have reached wild boar in Catalonia, its implications for the pig sector and the UK’s border controls HERE.

On Monday, the NPA urged the government to ensure it does everything it can to protect the UK pig sector, following Spain’s ASF outbreak.