Varied foreign reactions to flu continue to emerge

By Janie Gabbett on 4/29/2009
MeatingPlace.com


As each day passes since the outbreak of the new hybrid Type A/H1N1 influenza virus that originated in Mexico, more countries are taking varied actions relative to pork and swine from North America, often seemingly based on misinformation and fear.

To repeat: There has been no connection established between swine and the new virus. No hogs in North America have been found to carry the new virus. People cannot contract either swine flu or this new virus from eating pork.

Here are some of the most recent reactions:

South Korea said Tuesday it will ban live pig imports from North America as a precaution, according to Yonhap. In 2008 South Korea imported about 1,800 pigs from all sources.

Egypt ordered the slaughter of all the roughly 300,000 pigs in the country Wednesday, according to media reports.

The list of countries banning either all pork or raw pork imports from at least some U.S. states has grown to include: Thailand, Ecuador, Honduras and St. Lucia, Bahrain, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Indonesia, according to USTR and media reports.
While the list looks long, key U.S. pork importers such as Japan, Mexico, Canada, South Korea and Hong Kong have not restricted imports.

South Korean Food and agriculture minister Chang Tae-pyong told reporters that experts were in agreement that the disease could not be transmitted through the consumption of meat and concerns about pig intestines being a threat were unfounded.

"Seoul has taken swift and concrete steps to deal with the outbreak, but it must not take any action that can cause unwarranted social fear," Yonhap quoted him as saying.


Mexican concern

Mexico is a key market for U.S. pork. While some analysts find it hard to believe that country would ban U.S. pork, there is concern that some Mexican and U.S. consumers might stop eating pork, based on the name association, as the new virus is still widely being dubbed "swine flu."

In a note to investors, Barclays Capital analyst Christopher Bledsoe made the point that consumers in affected countries during the 2005/2006 Avian Flu outbreaks reacted by cutting their consumption, even though properly cooked chicken was not a danger to humans.