§ Mr. Harrisasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what controls exist to prevent the reintroduction of Aujeszky's disease into the United Kingdom through the importation of infected pigmeat products or live pigs.
§ Mrs. FennerImports of pigmeat products are permitted from member states of the European Community provided they conform with the relevant animal health directives. The rules applied to imports from other countries are at least as strict. They provide that the products must be produced from pigs that were examined and found to be healthy and that were slaughtered in an approved slaughterhouse.
Imports of live pigs are not permitted except from countries of comparable animal health status. The safeguards include requirements that the premises of origin shall have been clear of Aujeszky's disease for the 499W preceding 12 months, that during this period there shall have been no vaccination against the disease on the holding, and that the animals shall have been tested on two occasions for the disease whilst being kept in isolation for a period of 21 days prior to export.