Hilary Benn backs British pork farmers
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn visited a pig farm in Suffolk on Thursday 30 April before meeting pig farmers and other representatives from the sector for a roundtable discussion on the current flu outbreak.
Hilary Benn was shown the practical biosecurity measures that pig farmers are taking to minimise disease risks and he highlighted that there is currently no evidence that this type of flu has been found in pigs in the UK.
Hilary Benn said:
"This flu has not been found in pigs in the UK. We have a routine surveillance programme to detect the presence of any new animal diseases and this new strain of human flu has not been detected.
“The World Health Organisation confirmed yesterday that they would from now on be referring to the current outbreak as H1N1 influenza A, not swine flu, to avoid confusion that the virus is currently being found in pigs.
"The UK pig industry has shown real leadership on biosecurity and it is supporting our continuing surveillance programme.
"The World Health Organisation and Food Standards Agency have both made clear that the current outbreak of flu cannot be transmitted by eating pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is perfectly safe."
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Page last modified: 3 May 2009
Page published: 3 May 2009