Pork seized from ferry passengers in Hull to prevent spread of African swine fever

Fifteen kilograms of pork has been seized from ferry passengers arriving in Hull to stop the spread of African swine fever (ASF).Officers from the Hull and Goole Port Health Authority and Border Force confiscated the meat, which included sausages, from arrivals to King George Dock.The pork was confiscated from passengers' luggage, as well as cars and vans, to prevent it from getting into the food chain.

Chief Port Health Inspector Sally Johnson said: "The intelligence gained during the exercise will be used to assist the authority in focusing resources and surveillance efforts more effectively to ensure that we are assisting in the protection of animal health nationally by the removal of potentially unsafe meat and meat products at the point of entry."

Although ASF poses no threat to human health, it can kill pigs within a week of infection, which has caused disruption to the meat industry in some parts of Europe.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) says the disease may have a mortality rate as high as 100%, although the UK has yet to have a confirmed case.

Symptoms include high fever, loss of appetite and haemorrhages in the skin and internal organs. Unregulated pork products with a combined weight of more than 2kg are banned along with those being imported from EU countries if they are not compliant with commercial standards. The measures were introduced in 2022 following the spread of African swine fever to 16 European countries including Italy, Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania and Sweden.A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) report earlier this year said it was a "critical time for the spread of the virus".