The OCU reminds that the consumption of pork does not pose a risk to health
Given the detection of cases of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boars in a small area of Cataloniathe Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) This Tuesday he wanted to remember that “the consumption of pork and derivatives, including sausages made with wild boar meat, is safe for human health”
“ASF is a viral disease that exclusively affects pigs and wild boarswith a high mortality in these animals, but It is not zoonotic: It is not transmitted to people, neither by contact nor by ingestion of meat or derived products. That is, even in the hypothetical case that sick pork or wild boar meat and sausages were consumed, there would be no health risk. Furthermore, it would be a highly unlikely circumstance, since the products marketed in Spain come from legal and controlled channels, which guarantees their food safety,” the OCU noted.
Regarding the economic and commercial impact that could arise if the virus reached a pig farm, something that today is considered unlikely thanks to the strict biosafety measures in force, the organization has explained that “andIn the worst scenario – if the virus reached a pig farm -, international trade restrictions on exports could be established of pork derivatives from some region of our country, which could cause a drop in the price of pork in Spainfor having to assume the consumption here of what is not sold abroad”.
It must be remembered that Spain is the first pork producer in the European Union and the third worldwidewith more than 4.9 million tons annually and a sector that represents 14% of national agricultural production.
In any case, the OCU has highlighted that “ASF was eradicated in Spain in 1995, thanks to a very strict and internationally recognized national program.” “However, some countries in Eastern and Southern Europe still have cases, especially in wild boars. This is why The European Union maintains permanent surveillance measures to avoid direct contact between pigs and wild boars, and on any material that could contain remains of infected meat that could be ingested by pigs on farms,” he concluded.
