UK government action to protect Britain’s pig sector against ASF
The UK government has updated its control strategy for African Swine Fever (ASF), introducing additional restricted zones which can be deployed depending on the situation.
The revised strategy introduces a more flexible, risk-based framework designed to control disease effectively without imposing severe restrictions on producers. The 3 restricted zones are designed to help farmers avoid blanket movement restrictions on live pigs and pork products, reducing pressures such as overcrowding and enabling day-to-day operations to continue more smoothly.
Surveillance requirements
Surveillance requirements have also been strengthened with veterinary inspectors carrying out visits to premises within disease control zones to verify compliance, while enhanced testing will support earlier detection of infection.
Risk-based movement licensing expanded
Risk-based movement licensing has been expanded to support both welfare and business continuity. Under veterinary supervision, pigs may be moved within zones for welfare reasons or to complete production cycles, helping to prevent overcrowding and maintain appropriate housing conditions.
Biosecurity minister Baroness Hayman said: “These changes will help reduce unnecessary pressures on farmers and producers, maintain high standards of welfare and ensure we are well prepared to respond quickly and confidently to any outbreak.”
Further updates include:
- A clearer framework for implementing a national movement ban, ensuring restrictions are proportionate and lifted as soon as conditions allow
- Greater flexibility in meat controls, allowing certain products from restricted zones to remain commercially viable under specific conditions
- Detailed guidance on cleansing and disinfection procedures, helping producers plan for safe and timely restocking.
- The duration of the disease control zones has been revised. The minimum period for protection zones has been reduced to 15 days, down from 30-45 days, following initial cleansing and disinfection, subject to surveillance outcomes
The updated framework also strengthens the UK’s ability to apply regionalisation principles, helping to protect trade by enabling disease-free areas to continue exporting safely during an outbreak.
Katie Jarvis, chief policy adviser at the National Pig Association, welcomed the developments, saying the changes would help with regionalisation in the event of an outbreak. Jarvis also acknowledged the additional surveillance measures but stressed the association’s concerns about the ability of Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to deal with simultaneous outbreaks of avian influenza, Blue Tongue and ASF.
Concerns
The industry is also concerned about the future UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement and its effect on removing most routine checks on EU imports and changes regarding imports from the rest of the world. “Defra has said they are introducing other measures, but it is worrying when Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA) confirmed nearly 400 tonnes of illegal meat was removed in January,” she said. The SPS agreement is due to come into force in summer 2027.
The concern about the introduction of ASF entering the UK through illegal meats at ports was echoed by Stuart Houston, board chair at Red Tractor Pig Sector, who highlighted the size of the UK’s outdoor herd and the ease with which the disease could be transmitted via, for example, an imported contaminated discarded sandwich. Dr Paul Talling, Livetec biosecurity adviser, said pig farmers had to improve their biosecurity, which was lagging behind the poultry sector due to them having to deal with avian influenza outbreaks over the past decade.
Stringent biosecurity measures
Dr Talling said Spain had been able to keep ASF out of its commercial herd during the recent outbreak, in spite of hundreds of wild boars being affected, due to stringent biosecurity measures. The UK was also at a disadvantage with 50% of its breeding herd outdoors and the integrated nature of the sector, which means animals being transported up and down the country, he added.
He urged both the government and the pig sector to increase awareness of the disease risk of ASF and continue to enhance surveillance, particularly in badgers, foxes and feral pigs, and urged farmers to take control of their biosecurity and contingency planning.
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