European Union officials have agreed on new rules for the treatment of imported pig blood for use in animal feed, but decided not to change the rules on the import of live pigs. The rules were discussed by EU officials at a May 6 meeting due to concerns of the spread of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus in North America and Asia.
According to a Reuters report, an expert committee had introduced a requirement that any blood products to be imported to the EU for use in pig feed must have been treated at 80 F, followed by storage for six weeks at room temperature, which the European Commission said would ensure any coronavirus present was inactivated.
The EU opted not to change its rules on live pig imports, stating import rules on live animals were already strict, and that U.S. and Canadian authorities had told them no live pigs were scheduled to be sent to the EU.
Citing worries of the spread of PED virus, France had earlier proposed a ban on imports of pigs and pig products from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Japan. However, France opted to wait until after the May 5 EU meeting before making a final decision. A spokesperson confirmed that no such ban would be implemented at this time.
