In order to insulate France from a virus that may have killed 7 million pigs in the U.S. since last April, France will suspend imports of live pigs, pig byproducts and pig sperm from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Japan, Reuters reported Friday. The ban is slated to be announced Saturday.
"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, France's chief inspector of veterinary public health, told Reuters. "There are few diseases that have such a high mortality rate at such a large scale."
The virus, known as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv), has affected pigs in the U.S. for roughly a year. Piglets are disproportionately affected by the virus and have an very high fatality rate, according to the National Pork Producers Council.
During hearing held by a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee on Wednesday, NPPC President Howard Hill, a veterinarian, said that by this summer, the number of slaughter-eligible pigs in the U.S. might be reduced by as much 10 percent, relative to last year.
The virus, which is transmitted via contaminated manure, was first reported in the U.S. in the spring of 2013. Some pork economists have estimated that roughly 2.6 million sows and 3.6 million piglets have been infected, with most of the infected piglets dying, according to Hill.
In mid-April, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would start requiring pork producers to report any outbreaks of PEDv, as well another virus affecting pigs called the Swine Delta Coronavirus, which was detected in February.
"USDA has been working closely with the pork industry and our state and federal partners to solve this problem," Vilsack said in an April statement. "[These] actions will help identify gaps in biosecurity and help us as we work together to stop the spread of these diseases and the damage caused to producers, industry and ultimately consumers."
Although PEDv is reportedly not a threat to humans, it has affected pigs in at least 30 states, according to the NPPC. The cause of the virus is unknown, but the first U.S. strain of PEDv was allegedly 99.4 percent similar to a Chinese isolate, the pork council said.
In addition to France, several other countries have already placed bans on live pigs from the U.S., including China and Japan, according to Joelle Hayden, a spokesperson from the USDA. A "farm freedom statement" is also required for U.S. exports of live swine into Mexico.
Tony Clayton, president of the Livestock Exporters Association of the USA, told Law360 on Friday that pork producers are taking additional measures to prevent the spread of PED.
"We are taking extra steps and precautions, and doing additional testing for PED, to prove that the farms we're exporting from are high health," Clayton told Law360.
He noted that Malaysia, Vietnam and Philippines are still keeping their markets open to U.S. pig products, and that the U.S. and Chinese governments are currently negotiating over pork testing methods that might persuade China to lift its ban.
The European Union has yet to issue unified suspension of U.S. hogs, and France's ban would not include pork meat meant for human consumption due to the virus's non-risk for humans, Reuters reported on Friday. But although PEDv does not affect human health, the virus's impact on the U.S. pig population may affect consumers prices.
In his testimony before the House agriculture subcommittee on Wednesday, NCPP President Hill said that due to the loss of pigs from PEDv, U.S. hog prices could rise between 15 and 25 percent, bringing consumer prices up by 10 to 12 percent.
--Editing by Chris Yates.
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