Imported pork and swine flu checks
Deputy McGrath asked whether imported pork products from swine-flu areas were properly checked at ports and airports. The Taoiseach said he would ask the Minister for Agriculture to reply directly.
There are major concerns in the pig industry here about imported pork and other products coming from areas close to where there is swine flu. Have we proper checks in our ports and airports by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in this regard? This is a deadly serious virus and it could be worse than foot and mouth disease for the pig industry. The pig industry is our third largest food producing sector and neither the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine nor many of the rest of us are aware of the seriousness of this matter as it applies to pork products imported from these regions adjacent to the current epidemic.
