[HappyHippy]

I've been asked to pass this message on to anyone who keeps pigs - please feel free to re-post & share 

Disease spread risk from feeding kitchen scraps and meat to pigs and other farmed animals
Sir,
As a result of reports of outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) in wild boar and backyard pigs in Western Russia (OIE 2013a) and Belarus (OIE 2013b), Defra published a preliminary outbreak assessment (Defra 2013). This highlighted the increased likelihood of pig meat and pig meat products containing ASF virus being present in the human food chain in Russia.  This could pose a threat to the UK pig industry from the illegal movement of pig meat and pig meat products, originating from affected areas, into the UK, including via personal imports.

We would like to ask British veterinary practitioners to remind their clients, particularly hobby farmers and smallholders, that feeding kitchen scraps and catering waste, and  any meat and meat products to farmed animals such as pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, poultry etc, including farmed animals kept as pets, is illegal under animal by-products legislation (Reg. EC 1069/2009, Reg. EU 142/2011), because of its potential to create opportunities for exotic notifiable disease viruses to enter the UK livestock population.  The ASF virus remains viable for long periods in infected uncooked or undercooked pork products (e.g. it can remain infectious for 3-6 months in uncooked pork) (OIE 2009). There are also other exotic notifiable diseases that can be passed on through exposure to infected meat products, e.g. foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever, avian influenza.  It is important that keepers of farmed animals (including pet farmed animals) help safeguard the health and welfare of their animals by not feeding them with meat, meat products or any waste food from kitchens, restaurants or catering facilities (due to the risk of inclusion or contamination with meat or meat products). It is equally important that farmed animals do not accidentally have access to any waste food from any other sources, e.g. staff eating lunches, access to dustbins, etc. Where the public have access to farmed animals such as from footpaths, farms open to the public or farms with other business types that may attract visitors like ‘Bed & Breakfast’ facilities, it may be helpful to consider using signs to make it clear that farmed animals should only be fed livestock feed as anything else may harm their health.

Further information on the ban on feeding kitchen scraps and meat to livestock, including to pet farmed animals, is available on the Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) website (http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/disease-control/abp/collect-feed/ban-kitchen-scraps-pet/, http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/disease-control/abp/food-feed-businesses/using-derived-products-animal-origin-farm-animal-feed/).

Identification and traceability is also a legal requirement and for certain species, even if one farmed animal is kept (including as a pet) it has to be registered (http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/keeping-animals/registering/). 

It is vital that veterinary colleagues and keepers of farmed animals (including pet farmed animals) remain vigilant & immediately report any suspicion of exotic notifiable disease (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/notifiable/).

References

Defra (2013) African Swine Fever in Belarus and Russia, Preliminary Outbreak Assessment. http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/files/poa-asf-russia-20130624.pdf, Accessed 2013, August 22
OIE (2009) African Swine Fever Technical Disease Card. http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Animal_Health_in_the_World/docs/pdf/AFRICAN_SWINE_FEVER_FINAL.pdf, Accessed 2013, August 23
OIE (2013a) African Swine Fever in Russia. Follow-up Report No.98 Ref OIE 13631;
Report Date 18/06/2013 http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/temp/reports/en_fup_0000013631_20130618_163110.pdf  Accessed 2013, August 22
OIE (2013b) African Swine Fever in Belarus. Immediate Notification Ref OIE 13663;
Report Date 24/06/2013 http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/temp/reports/en_imm_0000013663_20130624_102939.pdf, Accessed 2013, August 22

Christina Papadopoulou, Veterinary Adviser, Animal By-Products & TSEs policy team, AHVLA, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR
David Harris, Lead Veterinary Officer, National Feed Audit, AHVLA, Kendal Road, Harlescott, Shrewsbury, SY1 4HD
Susanna Williamson, Pig Expert Group, AHVLA, Rougham Hill, Bury St Edmunds,
Suffolk, IP33 2RX
Emma Rose, Veterinary Adviser, Exotics & Risk team, AHVLA, Nobel House, 17
Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR
Neil Leach, Head of policy, Animal By-Products & TSEs policy team, Defra, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR
Helen Roberts, Exotics and Risk team, AHVLA, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR
Colin Macaldowie, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer (Scotland), Scottish Government
Spur P Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3XD
Les Eckford, Veterinary Adviser, Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, Welsh Government, Hill House, Picton Terrace, Carmarthen, SA 31 3BS


Corresponding author: Christina Papadopoulou, [email protected]

[Bodger]

Prudence isn't going to be happy when I have to tell her that her Friday night Stroganoff is off the menu.
Seriously though, although I don't feed household scraps to my pigs ( the dogs get those) anything, including waste meat that's been through our kitchen, has been well cooked along with any diseases that it may or may not be carrying.

[MAK]

Stroganoff ? Ours are lucky to get the prawn shells when we have prawn curry on a Friday night. ( Prawns shelled in the garden folks).

Any thoughts who the author is?
 

[xnbacon]

Don't know about anyone else, but I wouldn't feed pork (whether cooked or uncooked) back to pigs anyway so would be largely irrelevant, seems rather distasteful.  Even if someone had sent me an illicit food parcel from Russia.
Are we sure this is for real?!!

[hughesy]

I think there was something in practical pigs magazine about disease in russia/china and also problems in the usa. I suspect that they don't have the rules and regs that we do. One thing is inevitable and that is that if there is a disease outbreak in this country the big commercial sector will blame it on the small producers, whereas I suspect it's more likely to come from intensive farming than high welfare small herds.

[shygirl]

i got this via facebook but thought it was rather old news. surely everyone know this now?

[Fowgill Farm]

I think there was something in practical pigs magazine about disease in russia/china and also problems in the usa. I suspect that they don't have the rules and regs that we do. One thing is inevitable and that is that if there is a disease outbreak in this country the big commercial sector will blame it on the small producers, whereas I suspect it's more likely to come from intensive farming than high welfare small herds.

Ditto my thoughts exactly, just looking for more ways for us small timers to jump thro more hoops and red tape............
mandy

[xnbacon]

Or ensure we buy manufactured pig food.  I'm sure this is heavily sponsored by some manufacturer somewhere down the line.  Just my opinion and I am quite cynical.

[hughesy]

Or ensure we buy manufactured pig food.  I'm sure this is heavily sponsored by some manufacturer somewhere down the line.  Just my opinion and I am quite cynical.

I'm inclined to agree.

[jimmy]

Remember when people used common sense rather than needing ridiculously over cautious health&safety rules for everything?

Feeding a few apples from a kitchen, to a pig, isn't going to do anyone any harm. Unless you let those Apples sit next to some infected diseased raw meat!

[HappyHippy]

Don't shoot the messenger 
It had been forwarded by Quality Meat Scotland, so yes - it's real and not made up.

There's been talk of it in Practical Pigs and also Pig World - but lots of folk keep pigs without getting any kind of 'industry' publications so might not have been aware of it.

We can argue the rights and wrongs of whether the legislation makes any sense for as long as we like, but it won't make any difference - it's already the law and they're unlikely to change it 
Common sense seems to have deserted the powers that be as well 

Karen x

[MAK]

Does anyone know what is in the Pig Nuts we buy? Mine lists proportions of protein and minerals but not the protein source or type. I hve this thing about 80% of the planets fish catch being ysed for anumal feed. I am not sure where my nuts are made but then that means little if the raw ingredients are shipped from russia via Turkey then Ireland.

[shropshire_blue]

Has anyone come across @thepigidea on twitter?  It's a campaign to get slops and scraps back on the menu for pigs, and seems to have backing from some pretty big names...

[oaklandspigs]

Has anyone come across @thepigidea on twitter?  It's a campaign to get slops and scraps back on the menu for pigs, and seems to have backing from some pretty big names...

That's why this letter has been written, and others such as the NPA are about to start an awareness campaign.
 
The Pig idea will get nowhere, as whilst it aims are laudable (less landfill, better use of food, less soya grown destroying rain forests) it has three main flaws
Agi-business doesn't want it - it has long moved on from feeding a diet which has undetermined content, so unpredictable growth rates, commercial pig management nowadays relies on micro management of feed inputs to optimise sow output and litter growth.  With the industry pressurising, the UK gov will not push Brussels so it just won't happen
Defra is still smarting from the 2001 and 2007 outbreaks.  In 2007 the Gov made Defra would bear all the costs of the outbreak, and said this would be so for a future one. This means that if an outbreak occurs, then funding would need to be diverted form other Defra activities to pay the farmers.  Since Defra is actually the Department of the Environment (with food, and rural affairs tacked on), it would do nothing that might impact of it's environment budget and affect it "re-wilding" elephanst ro whatever mad cap scheme they think of next.
Finally the pig idea is actually a series of cooking vats in sheds, where food waste is delivered, sorted in conveyor belts and then boiled, packed and shipped to small farmers (the big ones aren't interested).  The costs of collection, transport, sorting, packaging and re-transport would probably exceed any prices that you could charge for something with a short shelf-life, and indeterminate food value.