Mexico suspends some U.S. pork imports after pseudorabies antibodies detected

MEXICO CITY, May 14 (Reuters) – Mexico has suspended imports from the United States of breeding pigs, semen, viscera and animal offal after authorities detected pseudorabies virus antibodies in some animals, the head of Mexican pork producers group Opormex told Reuters on Thursday.

• The suspension affects about 10% of Mexico’s total pork-product imports from the United States, but does not include pork meat, which does not pose a transmission risk, Ivan Espinosa said in an interview.

• Mexico’s National Service for Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica) implemented the measure on May 2, removing sanitary import requirements for those products from all U.S. states from its import platform as a precaution, Espinosa said.

• Pork meat, fat, hides and pig hair can still enter Mexico without restrictions because they are not considered a disease-transmission risk, he added.

• In a statement, Opormex said antibodies reacting to pseudorabies, also known as Aujeszky’s disease, were first identified at a pig farm in Iowa in tests on five breeding boars reportedly originating from Texas.

• Espinosa said the antibodies were detected during routine U.S. testing and that there is no clinical outbreak of the disease.

• About half of the pork consumed in Mexico is imported, and roughly 80% of those imports come from the United States, Espinosa said. He added that the suspension will remain in place until an epidemiological analysis determines which U.S. regions are affected and which can safely resume trade.

• If the suspension is prolonged, Mexico can turn to other suppliers and rely on domestic production to meet demand, he said.

(Reporting by Raúl Cortés Fernández; Editing by Kylie Madry)