Japan bans import of Hungarian pork on swine fever cases

Japan has imposed a temporary ban on pork from Hungary after three wild boars were diagnosed with swine fever earlier this week.

Hungarian meat producers were stunned by the announcement, as the disease has not been detected in livestock. "The three boars probably came from Slovakia, but had not infected any other animals," said head veterinary surgeon Miklós Süth, adding that "Hungary informed Tokyo on the details and the preventive measures put in place."

"A surveillance zone covering 37 towns and villages in north-Hungarian Nógrád country was set up, and the veterinary office will apply all preventive measures possible," he said.

Meanwhile game-processing and pig-rearing firms will be tightly monitored. Japan is an important market for Hungary, accounting for 10% of pork exports. Industry players fear that other countries may follow suit, which would be a blow for the sector. The current export ban could drive prices down some Ft 40 per kg.

The above story is just one of more than two dozen published today by Hungary Around the Clock, the most comprehensive source of daily English-language news about Hungary. For a free trial of HATC, click here. Hungarian news sources include Népszabadság; Magyar Hírlap; Világgazdaság; Napi Gazdaság; Magyar Nemzet; Népszava; Kossuth Rádió news and Hungarian television's nightly news broadcast.

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