News

Import ban expanded to more states, more products

U.S. Agriculture Secretary TomVilsack says there’s no scientific reason for Russia to ban U.S. pork from certain states. But despite that and assurances from the World Health Organization, Russia and several other nations have expanded their blockage of imports.

The ban, now including beef, pork andpoultry from California, Kansas, Texas, New York and Ohio, as well as from Mexico, is in reaction to reports of H1N1 flu in those states and in Mexico.

Even though the illness is widely referred to as ‘swine flu,’ Secretary Vilsack says it has nothing to do with eatingpork.

“This is not a food borne illness, this is a human to human transmission illness and it is not a circumstance or situation where banning pork products or prohibiting your consumers’ access to American pork is going to make one iota worth of difference,” saidVilsack Tuesday during a conference call.

There are also import bans of varying degrees of severity imposed by China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Serbia.

National Pork Producers Trade Counsel NickGiordano has his own theories about the reasons for the trade bans from Russia and other countries.

“This is a terrible precedent because it’s not based on science and it appears to be based purely on protectionism,” said Giordano, “and it really follows apattern.”

Part of the problem seems to be with the name swine flu, which is being debated globally. As of Tuesday, there were no reports of pigs anywhere falling ill from the virus, and even the World Organization for Animal Health proposed that it be called NorthAmerican flu because many outbreaks have been named for the regions where they originated.

“Call it the H1N1 flu,” suggested Vilsack to farm broadcasters meeting with him in Washington Tuesday, “call it something other than swine flu.”

Secretary Vilsack says the U.S. will continue to tell trading partners that there’s no scientific reason to doubt the safety of U.S. meat products.

“We believe and we hope that over time folks will understand the error of their ways and lift the restriction,”said Vilsack.

Secretary Vilsack says that between the USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative communicating that message, the number of countries restricting imports of U.S. products has been limited.