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Spare rib lovers, beware

Nov 29 2009 09:53

Johannesburg - The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is considering severe restrictions on the importation of pork, which could result in a serious shortage of spare ribs, in particular.

The aim of the restrictions is to curtail the spread of the highly contagious Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus, also known as Blue-Ear Pig Disease, which causes breathing and procreation problems in pigs.

There is no cure for the virus and pigs have to be slaughtered once the disease breaks out, as it did in the Western Cape in 2007.

South Africa imports 30 000 to 35 000 tonnes of pork a year, with about 165 000 tonnes being produced locally.

About half of the imported pork comprises spare ribs, which are sold principally in restaurants and supermarkets.

The other half is mainly processed into products like ham and sausages.

Canada, France, Germany and Spain supply most of the pork to South Africa, but these sources could be under threat from the new regulations the department is considering.

None of these countries has an official system to determine whether pork has been sourced from a PRRS-free area within that country.

In terms of the draft documents, which are currently being discussed by interest groups, unrestricted importation will be allowed only from the handful of countries that are officially free of the PRRS virus; these include Australia and New Zealand.

A warning has been sounded that, apart from the major abattoirs, there are about 5 000 smaller slaughterhouses using imported, unprocessed pork to produce, for instance, ham. These will be forced to halt production because of the strict regulations.

For more business news in Afrikaans, go to Sake24.com

- Sake24

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Moggymel
Nov 30 2009 10:56 Report this comment

lekka...ban spare ribs! maybe less people will peg from heart attacks. the meat we get lately is so damn fatty and oily one cant chow without wanting to puke on your shoes! its a conspiracy i tell you!!! LOL

Stephan
Nov 30 2009 09:42 Report this comment

Scud's comment is 100% on the mark. SAPPU lobbied for additional import tariffs on pork a while back and when they did not succeed, resorted to this angle by lobbying the Dept. of Agriculture. Note that pork is not the meat of choice in SA, SARS will lose even more import tax revenue, local producers will not be able to meet the demand (which will inflate prices to the conumers further) and small and medium local processors will go out of business. Protectionism, end of story.

ARI
Nov 30 2009 09:27 Report this comment

WELL SAID MICHAEL. MOSSIES ARE SANCTIMONIOUS TWITTERS! @SCUD - YOU'RE CLOSER TO THE TRUTH THAN ANYTHING ELSE - THEY'VE ALREADY SLAPPED TARIFFS ON CHICKEN IMPORTS FROM USA

scud
Nov 30 2009 08:43 Report this comment

I am involved in this spat--trust me--all that is happening is that local producers cant compete so the govt is looking for an excuse to rescue them.The same is happening in the poutry industry. All fine and good except the problem is that this type of action will cause huge price increases

Michael
Nov 30 2009 08:40 Report this comment

Mo, your statement that Saudi is respected for it's culture, religion and economy is ridiculous. The rest of the world thinks your religion and culture is rubbish and has a lot to do with your bad treatment of women. As for your economy, the ONLY reason it thrives is because they hold the world to ransom with high oil prices. So you really don't have much to brag about. Nobody likes your country, and only deal with them because they don't have another choice. Woop Woop for you.

Michael
Nov 30 2009 07:48 Report this comment

And Mohammed, pigs are actually not filthy, they eat anything because their digestive tract can process anything. They are in fact rather clean animals, in their own pens they will most times keep their areas for eating, sleeping and waste seperate, all on their own. The only reason they roll around in mud, is because they can't sweat, and need to cool down. They're also extremely intelligent, as far as livestock goes. And nothing beats the smell and taste of a nice sizzling strip of bacon or 20

Michael
Nov 30 2009 07:36 Report this comment

Mohammed - We like our whores thank you. We like our women to think for themselves, and preferrably not be stoned when they do something we don't like. It's called civilisation, and you backwards bunch have a lot of catchup to do.

Dobbin
Nov 29 2009 23:25 Report this comment

Here in Pakistan pork is officially off the menu but is available if you know which locals to speak too. Mohammed is typical of the breed in this part of the world; the public face and what they do in private are poles apart. Muslim girls are no different; its just not done in public. Am back in S.A. for Xmas and cant wait to get the old braai going.


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