Pig virus puts bacon butties under threat

A deadly pig virus could push up the price of sausages and bacon should it enter the UK.

Last week it was revealed the price of bacon has risen by 42% in recent times, making breakfast a costly affair. And the news comes hot on the heels of our revelation about a potential cornflakes crisis due to the Ukrainian conflict.

Now the British pig industry is on red alert to prevent a highly virulent disease that has killed livestock by the millions in America from reaching these shores.

According to experts, the porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDv) could have “devastating” consequences on the industry, affecting farmers’ livelihoods and pushing prices up.

While the disease is harmless to humans, it has an almost 100% mortality rate in piglets. Four million have died across 27 American states in the past year, prompting two US Senators to ask their government to approve disaster assistance for small pork producers.

The disease is believed to have spread from China to America, and subsequently swept into Canada and Mexico.

UK authorities are focusing on a specialist feed ingredient SDPP for young pigs as one possibility of how it could find a way over here.

Organisations such as the National Pig Association, Pig Veterinary Society and BPEX, which represents pig levy payers in England, have joined together to keep the virus out of the UK.

Penny Johnston, pigs policy manager at NFU Scotland, said PEDv could have far reaching consequences should it arrive here.

“The virus would have a very high impact and potential to spread quickly,” she explained. “Pig farms have already been going through a hard time and can’t afford to be hit with this. It could be devastating.

“Any big disease impacts on the business and the availability of products, so you could expect to see prices go up if it happens.

“That’s not a good thing for the industry because if the market has to go to other countries for products, it’s hard to win them back.

“I don’t believe the feed is the only potential source of it entering the country. Farmers have to be careful of equipment coming into their land, of people coming from areas where the disease has been and also of pig movements. We have to be very vigilant and aware.”

BPEX vet Derek Armstrong said: “It’s impossible to overstate the damage PEDv would cause if it arrived in Britain.

“The evidence from the States is that it’s so infectious that just one infected pig is all it would take to start an epidemic in this country, which could kill as much as 10% of the national herd.”

National Pig Association chairman Richard Longthorp said: “We are clear we don’t want to be looking back in a few months, and wish we had been more cautious. We are all agreed in the pig sector that we should close off every avenue of risk and potential risk for the time being.

“If it did enter the UK I think it would spread far more quickly and extensively than in America. We are not scaremongering the consequences don’t bear thinking about.”

While SDDP is banned by food assurance body Red Tractor, there is a concern it may be present in a few milk replacer and milk blend products without producers being aware.