France to ban US, Canadian, Mexican, Japanese pigs, products

PARIS – France will ban imports of pork-based products, live pigs and pig sperm from the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan to fight against a virus that has killed millions of piglets in North America and Asia, a ministry official said.

The measure, due to be published on Saturday, aims to protect France from Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv), which has killed around 7 million young pigs since first being identified in the United States almost a year ago.

“This disease worries us because the economic consequences would be dramatic if it hit our farms, in Europe and notably in France,” Jean-Luc Angot, deputy director general and chief veterinary officer at the French farm ministry, told Reuters on Friday.