France Bans U.S. Pork Imports

France has banned the import of all pork-based products, pigs and pig sperm from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Japan, reported International Business Times (IBT). The IBT said French officials fear that a virus, which has killed millions of piglets, could damage European markets.

In the U.S., up to seven million pigs have died from Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv), which causes death by dehydration and has spread to 30 states.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) estimates that 10% of the country’s pigs have already been lost to the virus, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates the figure to be between 5% and 7%.

The virus is fatal only to piglets and poses no any threat to human health or food safety. However, its spread caused U.S. pork prices to rise 12% in recent weeks. The NPPC warns that they could rise to 25%.

The USDA has struggled to find ways to contain the spread of the virus, including introducing compulsory reporting of suspected instances. Until April, such reporting was voluntary.

2013 was a record year for pork imports to France, which rose 2% from 2012.

The UK has not banned pork or pig livestock imports, but it imports few pig products from North America and nothing from Japan. A spokesperson for BPEX, which represents the British pig meat industry, said that if the virus were detected in the EU, it would have disastrous consequences. “The market would shut down overnight,” he said.