African swine fever detected in Jurong, fresh pork supply to be disrupted

SINGAPORE – A consignment of live pigs from Indonesia’s Pulau Bulan to Singapore has been found to be infected with African swine fever (ASF).

The virus was detected on Wednesday in pig carcasses in an abattoir in Jurong where the animals are slaughtered for food, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Thursday.

The deadly swine disease, which does not infect humans, is highly contagious among wild boars and pigs.

This is the first time ASF has been detected in pigs imported into Singapore, said SFA.

SFA added that it has stopped the import of live pigs from Pulau Bulan, which accounts for about 15 per cent of Singapore’s total pork supply. This makes up about two-thirds of Singapore’s supply of freshly slaughtered pork.

Investigations are ongoing at the farm in Pulau Bulan, which is near Batam.

SFA said: “Due to the current situation, there will be temporary disruptions to the supply of freshly slaughtered pork from Sunday.”

Meanwhile, SFA said it will work with partners in the industry to increase the availability of chilled and frozen pork from other sources.

Singapore imports pork from more than 20 sources, including live pigs from Sarawak in East Malaysia, as well as chilled or frozen pork from Australia, Brazil and other countries.

SFA said: “Consumers can choose a variety of food types and from different sources, and opt for other forms of meat such as frozen or chilled pork or other protein options.

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“There will be ample supplies for everyone if we buy responsibly and do not hoard.”

SFA said it is also working with the abattoir to maintain biosecurity measures and sanitise the premises as well as the surrounding areas after the pigs have been slaughtered.

It said pork available in Singapore remains safe for consumption as ASF does not affect humans and is not a food safety concern.

It added: “Pigs that are not sick and passed SFA’s inspections can be eaten. SFA and the Animal and Veterinary Service, a cluster of the National Parks Board, will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Singapore’s import conditions for pigs, pork and pork products are based on science, and take reference from guidelines and standards from the World Organisation for Animal Health.

SFA requires regions exporting raw pork to Singapore to be free from the virus, which can be transmitted through raw meat from infected pigs.

Processed pork products from ASF-affected areas, however, are allowed to be imported and sold, provided they have been heat-treated to inactivate the virus, said SFA.

In February, Singapore confirmed its first case of ASF, which was detected in a wild boar carcass in the north-west of the island.

The highly contagious disease, which spread to the Asia-Pacific region in 2018, has led to the culling of millions of pigs in a bid to curb its spread. To date, a total of 18 wild boars in Singapore have been found to be infected with ASF.

Nanyang Technological University professor of infectious diseases Laurent Renia said although ASF has been reported in 16 Asian countries, people should not be overly concerned about the virus.

He said: “Luckily, ASF is harmless to humans since it cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans. The cost is more economic by threatening food security, and ecological, as it has a devastating impact on pig farms and wild boars.”

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.