Questions for border controls as ASF-infected meat products reach UK market

The UK pig sector is demanding urgent action after products linked to a Vietnamese company accused of using African swine fever (ASF) infected pork were found to have been on sale in Britain.

The National Pig Association (NPA) said it was deeply concerned to learn that goods from Ha Long Canned Food JSC, known as Halong Canfoco, had recently been available through UK retailers.

ASF poses no risk to human health, but it is a highly contagious and often fatal disease in pigs, and an outbreak would have devastating consequences for the UK herd.

Vietnamese media have reported that investigators discovered the company used pork that tested positive for ASF in canned pâté.

The case reportedly began last September, when officials detected two trucks transporting 1.2 tonnes of pork of unknown origin, which later tested positive for the virus.

Investigators are said to have uncovered around 130 tonnes of frozen diseased pork stored at the firm’s warehouse, with reports claiming thousands of cans of pâté were produced using contaminated raw materials.

Other products, including spring rolls, were also reported to have tested positive for ASF, while separate tests found frozen pork skin and chicken skin contaminated with salmonella, raising wider food safety concerns.

The discovery has been particularly alarming because products from the company were found to have been on sale in the UK until only a few weeks ago.

A Google search indicated that Ha Long canned pâté and other pork products were available via Huong Viet Asian Supermarket.

After being contacted by Pig World, a spokesperson for the retailer said: “Since the news broke, we have removed all their products off our shelves and online.”

They said they became aware of the case through Vietnamese media roughly three weeks earlier and took the decision to withdraw the products immediately.

There is no suggestion the retailer acted improperly, and its swift response has been welcomed by the NPA and others.

However, the incident has raised serious questions about how such products entered the UK market, particularly given that Defra has confirmed Vietnam is not authorised to export fresh or heat-treated pork to Great Britain.

Tony Goodger, head of marketing and communications at the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS), said he passed the information to the Food Standards Agency after identifying that products appeared to be available.

“It appears that we are leaving the country’s biosecurity to chance,” he said.

Mr Goodger warned that the full extent of potentially contaminated goods in the UK remains unclear, adding: “At present, we have no idea about the full range of potentially contaminated products in the UK, for how long they have been sold to consumers, their batch codes or where else they might be being sold.”

He said the case highlighted the need for stronger surveillance and faster intelligence-sharing with countries exporting products to Britain.

NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said the information raised major concerns for the UK’s disease prevention efforts.

“It is very well documented that previous major disease outbreaks… are often linked to domestic or feral pigs gaining access to infected meat brought in from another country,” she said.

She said it was “hugely worrying” that products from a company recently found to have used ASF-infected meat had been available in the UK, adding: “We need to know how widely and for how long these products have been sold in the UK – and whether potentially infected meat is still available.”

Ms Wilson said the NPA supported calls for the government to strengthen international intelligence gathering and not weaken border controls in future trade agreements.

The Food Standards Agency said it was aware of the issue.

“We’re aware of the issue and we’ll share with relevant authorities, so together we can evaluate this and provide appropriate follow-up action if required,” a spokesperson said.

Defra said it could not comment on the specific case but stressed that all consignments of meat products must enter Great Britain through a Border Control Post, where checks are carried out to ensure import conditions are met.

The UK remains free of ASF, and industry leaders have repeatedly warned that strong border controls and public awareness are essential to keeping the disease out of the country.