Imported, pre-cooked pig meat threatening Australia's pork industry: local suppliers

Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-29 13:43:35|Editor: xuxin
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CANBERRA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- A loophole in Australian import regulations is allowing imported, pre-cooked pig meat to flood the local market and send local pig prices diving, in a development which suppliers say is posing a risk to the Australian pork industry.

Pig prices have fallen by over a third in the last 12 months, and producers such as David Miles have raised concerns that local farmers may be priced out of business by cheaper imported meat if it is allowed to continue.

"(The price of pork) has dropped virtually a dollar per kilo in two months. It means (a loss of) 80 to 85 Australian dollars (63 U.S. dollars) per pig, it's massive. So the more pigs you sell, the more money you actually lose," Miles told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.

The downturn has come after overseas suppliers noticed a loophole in Australian regulations. Currently, overseas pig suppliers can export pork into Australia so long as it is pre-cooked. Importers mostly use this to bring in ham and bacon products, but cheap pork belly and pork ribs are now being allowed in because they are also being pre-cooked.

Farmer John Bourke said the issue was becoming a problem for local producers, who may get to the point where they are unable to sell their pigs at market.

"We're in a state of depression. We just have a sea of meat in the country and we can't sell it - at any price," John Bourke.

Meanwhile Australian Pork Limited's Andrew Spencer said that cheaper pork products were being allowed into Australia in the same shipments as Spam and pre-cooked bacon and ham, and the challenge for local producers is to now raise awareness and inform consumers that they may not be eating fresh, Australian pork.

"There are now ribs coming in which have been cooked in packaging from North America and Europe where they can sit on the shelf for 12-24 months. They've basically been sterilized in the pack," Spencer said.

"Clearly we have a new challenge to somehow connect with consumers and ask them if they know what they're actually eating."

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