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There are approximately 67 tonnes of pork contaminated by the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus stored in three cold storages in Phuentsholing.
Usually any contaminated pork is carefully disposed away by the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA), but the pork importers requested BFDA consider alternatives to the disposal.
According to BFDA, contaminated pork will not be allowed for commercial distribution unless it is thoroughly cooked.
Random testing on the pork import revealed contamination in the Bhai Bhai and Mendayla consignments, prompting a recall. The RKS Enterprise’s pork tested negative twice, but all consignments are considered positive due to a shared source. Of Bhai Bhai’s 40 tonnes, 18 tonnes were distributed before testing; eight tonnes were recalled, while the rest were consumed or disposed off.
BFDA’s limited testing equipment and cost constraints mean only a few samples are tested after import. Although stringent pre-import testing is enforced, issues arose.
African Swine Fever was confirmed in March this year in pork imported from abroad.
Programme Director at the National Centre for Animal Health (NCHA), Dr Singye Rinchen, emphasised the potential catastrophic impact on pig farms in Bhutan if the contaminated meat were to be distributed.
That’s why it was revealed that during the meeting with BFDA, it was agreed upon to either dispose of the containment meat or send it back to the authorities.
He said, “The disease could pose a threat to pig farms in Bhutan and affect the livelihood of the farmers. For example, if there are 10 pigs on a farm and one gets infected, there is a high chance that all the pigs on the farm will die.”
While acknowledging that African Swine Fever does not pose a direct threat to humans, it underlined its devastating effects on pig populations, with mortality rates reaching up to 100 percent.
The World Organisation for Animal Health reports that African Swine Fever is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, emphasising the severity of the situation at hand.
Owner of RKS Enterprise, whose pork tested negative twice said, “If they hadn’t given us the permit, we wouldn’t have imported it. We can re-test as well, but they said there would be no compensation. I have spent around Nu 8,000,000 on this meat.”
Meanwhile, BFDA states that the contaminated pork is stored in the cold stores in Phuentsholing.
The pork consignments of M/s Bhai Bhai and Mendayla Enterprises tested positive for the ASF virus during the time of import. Hence, there is no question of re-testing their consignments.
Upon asking BFDA on how safe it is to release the contaminated pork to the market, they stated that without further processing, releasing the contaminated pork into the market is not an option.
However, given the amount of money spent, the importers have requested that the that BFDA consider options to make their consignment safe for release. BFDA is in dialogue with the importers on this request.
BFDA told The Bhutanese that they are second-guessing the decision made with the National Centre for Animal Health, as the proprietor of RKS Enterprise made repeated appeals both to the BFDA and the Ministry of Health to re-test his consignment and allow distribution of the frozen pork should it again test negative.
Based on the importer’s repeated request to re-test his consignment and his willingness to bear the testing charges by himself, BFDA is exploring options to send the pork samples to one of the accredited labs outside Bhutan for re-testing.
The officials from BFDA said, “Should any of the samples test positive for ASF virus, the consignment will not be released without further processing.”
