Plans to strengthen protections for pig farmers and industry have been stepped up today (Thursday 14 May) as the government introduces new measures in the event of a swine fever outbreak.<\/p>\n
African Swine\u00a0Fever (ASF)\u00a0is\u00a0a disease which affects pigs and wild boar and in recent years it has been circulating in parts of Asia and Africa, leading to the deaths of millions of pigs worldwide and causing significant disruption to the meat trade. The disease has also spread to parts of Europe through the movement of wild boar\u00a0and\u00a0human actions including moving infected meat.<\/p>\n
Whilst there has never been an outbreak of ASF in the UK, the updated control strategy is an important part of the\u00a0government\u2019s\u00a0plans to prevent and respond to a potential future outbreak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0revised strategy introduces\u00a0a more flexible, risk-based framework designed to control disease effectively without imposing\u00a0severe\u00a0restrictions on famers and producers. It reflects the latest scientific\u00a0and\u00a0veterinary\u00a0evidence and aligns with international best practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A central feature of the update is the introduction of\u00a0additional\u00a0restricted zones (Restricted Zones 1, 2 and 3), which can be deployed depending on the situation. This will help farmers avoid blanket\u00a0movement\u00a0restrictions\u00a0on live\u00a0pigs\u00a0and\u00a0pork\u00a0products, reducing pressures such as overcrowding and enabling day-to-day operations to continue more smoothly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The strategy, developed jointly with Scottish and Welsh Governments, also strengthens surveillance requirements. Veterinary inspectors will carry out visits to premises within disease control zones to verify compliance, while enhanced testing will support earlier detection of infection. These measures are expected to provide greater confidence in disease freedom, allowing restrictions to be lifted sooner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Risk-based movement licensing has been expanded to support both welfare and business continuity. Under\u00a0veterinary oversight, pigs may be moved within zones for welfare reasons or to complete production cycles, helping to prevent overcrowding and\u00a0maintain\u00a0appropriate housing\u00a0conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Biosecurity Minister Baroness Hayman said:<\/p>\n
This updated strategy reflects our commitment to working in partnership with farmers and the wider pig industry to manage disease risks effectively and\u00a0protect a\u00a0sector\u00a0worth over \u00a38 billion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
These changes will help reduce unnecessary pressures on farmers and producers, maintain high standards of welfare, and ensure we are well prepared to respond quickly and confidently to any outbreak.<\/p>\n
UK\u202fChief\u202f Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, said:\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our updated swine fever disease control strategy will ensure that we are better prepared than ever before to respond swiftly and effectively to a potential outbreak of\u202fAfrican and classical swine fevers.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Enhanced surveillance and flexible movement licensing will help us detect disease earlier and\u00a0protect our national herd whilst maintain essential farming operations in a biosecure manner. Whilst the disease is not present in Great Britain, we encourage all farmers to\u00a0maintain\u00a0strong biosecurity standards and familiarise themselves with the new measures.<\/p>\n
Further updates include:\u00a0<\/p>\n
A clearer framework for implementing a national movement ban, ensuring restrictions are proportionate and lifted as soon as conditions allow.
\n Greater flexibility in meat controls, allowing certain products from restricted zones to remain commercially\u00a0viable\u00a0under specific conditions.
\n Detailed guidance on cleansing and disinfection procedures, helping producers plan for safe and\u00a0timely\u00a0restocking.<\/p>\n
The duration of disease control zones has also been revised. For example, the\u00a0minimum\u00a0period for protection zones has been reduced to 15 days, down from 30-45, following initial cleansing and disinfection, subject to surveillance outcomes. This is expected to significantly reduce welfare pressures on farms while\u00a0maintaining\u00a0robust disease safeguards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The updated framework also strengthens the UK\u2019s ability to apply regionalisation principles, helping to protect trade by enabling disease-free areas to continue exporting safely during an outbreak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
ASF\u00a0poses no risk to human health as it only affects pigs and related animals. Everyone can help to stop the spread of ASF to the UK by doing the following:\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you have visited ASF-affected areas in Europe, or elsewhere in the world, you must not bring any pork or pork products back to the UK.\u00a0
\n Disposing of leftovers or food waste in secure bins that pigs or wildlife cannot access.\u00a0
\n Farmers, the public and members of the food industry should practise high biosecurity standards, including never feeding catering waste, kitchen scraps or meat products to pigs which is illegal and can spread the disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Government continually\u00a0monitors\u00a0disease outbreaks around the world to assess whether there may be risks for the UK and\u00a0takes action to limit\u00a0the risk of the disease reaching our shores.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For more information about the various animal disease outbreak contingency plans, visit each Governments\u2019\u00a0exotic disease pages\u00a0in\u00a0England<\/a>,\u00a0Wales<\/a>,\u00a0Scotland<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Northern Ireland<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Notes to\u202feditors:\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n The current overall risk of entry of ASF virus in live animals and products of animal origin (POAO) in general from affected countries globally, is assessed as\u202fMEDIUM\u202f(event occurs regularly).\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u202frisk of ASF entering the UK, through people bringing POAO to the UK (including meat and other pork products such as dog chews) is assessed as\u202fHIGH\u202f(event occurs very often).\u00a0<\/p>\n