Canada enhances pork inspections to quell swine flu fears

Canada is increasing its pork inspections in an attempt to ease any concerns Canadians may have in light of the global swine flu outbreak, the federal government announced Wednesday.

Canada already monitors pigs for signs of swine influenza on a regular basis, but authorities with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and its provincial counterparts will now work with producers and veterinarians to ensure monitoring activities are of the highest possible level, Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said in a statement.

The ministers did not provide specific details.

"The government of Canada is confident that Canadian pork is safe," the ministers said in their statement. "We want to reassure Canadians that human swine influenza cannot be contracted through eating pork or pork products."

"At the same time, the government of Canada always ensures the safety of Canada's food supply and the health of its animals. Federal, provincial and private sector veterinarians are working closely with producers to protect the health of our pork industry."

In Saskatchewan, provincial veterinarian Greg Douglas told reporters at a Wednesday briefing that hog producers were being advised to step up their safety routines.

"Heightened bio-security measures are certainly in order, " Douglas said.

Douglas said that athough there is no evidence that swine flu can be passed from humans to animals, producers should still be cautious. He said anyone in the industry who may have come into contact with the virus should stay away from their animals.

Canadian pork producers fear backlash

Canadian pork producers are concerned about the effect swine flu — which was first detected in Mexico and has now spread to six other countries, including Canada — might have on their industry.

Some consumers have expressed fears about eating pork, while some countries have started tightening restrictions on pig farming and pork products. The fears come despite repeated assurances from the World Health Organization that the illness is not being contracted through exposure to pigs or consumption of their meat.

John Preun, a hog producer in Manitoba, said his hogs once had a strain of swine flu, but no one got sick.

"I think it's understandable that people are concerned about what they eat, but my message would be that this is not a food safety issue," he told CBC News. "This is a common virus and it affects humans and animals."

On Tuesday, the Canadian Pork Council, in an open letter to Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, asked the federal government to start referring to the illness as "North American influenza." The council said the current moniker causes "serious misunderstandings," and noted the H1N1 virus includes human, avian and animal genetic components.

Ritz and Day said they will defend the quality of Canada's pork industry to any countries who may be considering banning pork products.

Countries tighten restrictions

While Canada is standing by its pork producers, Egypt's government on Wednesday began slaughtering its entire 300,000-strong pig population, becoming the first country to approve an outright cull. Egypt's predominantly Muslim population does not generally consume pork due to religious beliefs, but no such restrictions apply to the minority Christian population, believed to form about 10 per cent of the population.

Egyptian Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza told reporters that farmers would be allowed to sell the pork from the culled animals, so there would be no need for compensation.

Hog farmers were outraged by the decision.

Aman Ishak, a Christian pig rearer living northeast of Cairo, affirmed the health of his pigs and bemoaned the loss of income he faced.

"How long will the compensation feed us for? A year? Is the government going to pay for our children's education?" the father of 10 told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Asian countries lead charge

South Korea is the latest of several Asian countries to introduce restrictions. The country said late Tuesday it would suspend the import of all live pigs from Canada, the United States and Mexico. Indonesia, the Philippines and Ukraine have banned all pork imports from North America.

China, the world's biggest consumer of pork, and Russia have banned raw pork imports from Mexico and several U.S. states. Malaysia has asked the WHO to bar people in Mexico from leaving the country.

The European Union has suggested such actions smack of trade protectionism, and has tried to assuage fears about consuming pork.

The World Trade Organization said it hasn't been officially notified by any of the countries of their restrictions on pork imports. The WTO stipulates that countries may place restrictions on food imports for health and safety reasons, but must inform other member countries.

The WHO says there are now 114 confirmed cases of swine flu worldwide, including 19 in Canada.

There are no confirmed cases of the illness in animals in places where the flu has been observed among humans, and the WHO says there's no evidence people are getting infected by exposure to pork or pigs.

The H1N1 influenza virus, which causes swine flu, would be killed by cooking pork at 70 degrees C, the WHO says, generally considered an appropriate temperature for safe consumption of the meat.