HAMBURG (GERMANY) – Farmers in Germany urged China on Friday not to impose a nationwide ban on imports of pork from Germany a day after African swine fever (ASF) was detected in a wild boar in Brandenburg.
As soon as ASF was detected on Thursday, South Korea, the largest non-EU buyer of Germany pork, imposed a ban on imports from Germany
Joachim Rukwied, president of Germany’s DBV farming association, said pig farmers are alarmed that “swine fever will mean the Asian market falls apart”.
Germany is the largest producer of pork in Europe and it sold $1.2 billion (936.70 million pounds) worth of meat to China last year.
“I hope that the Chinese market remains open,” Rukwied said.
“I hope that they will take a similar course of action as in the European Union, with a regionalised answer in which only meat from the affected region cannot be exported elsewhere in the EU.”
He said that the domestic demand is not large enough for the pig farming sector. “We are greatly concerned, we fear market pressure.”
For German farmers, Asia is an important market as there much demand for pig ears and tails, which are of no significance in European cuisine.
ISN pig breeders’ association said German pork exports to China are not feasible in the short term and could come to a halt.
“Veterinary certificates for pigmeat exports to China can no longer have the words ‘ASF free’ for Germany so in reality we fear that exports will no longer be possible,” an ISN spokesman said.
“This will be very painful for pig producer in Germany.”