Singapore Food Agency: African swine fever detected in dead pigs at local slaughterhouse

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has announced that African Swine Fever (ASF) has been detected in pig carcasses at a local slaughterhouse. These carcasses were part of a consignment of live pigs imported from Pulau Bulan in Indonesia.

As a result, the import of live pigs from Pulau Bulan has been suspended while investigations at the farm are ongoing.

Despite this, SFA has reassured the public that the pork available in Singapore is safe for consumption. ASF does not affect humans and is not a food safety concern. Pigs that have passed SFA’s inspections and are not sick can be eaten. SFA and the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) have promised to monitor the situation closely.

There will, however, be temporary disruptions to the supply of freshly slaughtered pork from 23 April onwards.

SFA is working closely with the slaughterhouse to sanitize the premises and surrounding environment after the slaughter of pigs currently at the slaughterhouse. SFA is also working to maintain the biosecurity measures at the slaughterhouse.

SFA noted that Singapore’s import conditions for pigs, pork, and pork products are based on science and take reference from guidelines and standards from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). To mitigate the risk of incursion of ASF, SFA requires regions exporting raw pork to Singapore to be free from ASF.

Processed pork products from approved establishments in ASF-affected areas are allowed to be imported and sold, provided they have been heat-treated to inactivate the ASF virus.

While the city-state’s pork supply is well-diversified – with over 20 sources, including live pigs from Sarawak, Malaysia, as well as chilled or frozen pork from countries such as Australia, Brazil, Denmark, and New Zealand – SFA has asked consumers to be flexible and adaptable with their food choices.

Advising that consumers can choose various food types from different sources and opt for other meat or protein options, the authority said there would be ample supplies for everyone if the public bought responsibly and did not hoard products.