Singapore's live pig imports from Pulau Bulan may take up to a year to resume: SFA
Agency working to diversify import sources, as Meat Traders Association assures enough frozen pork in stock
SINGAPORE — An Indonesian farm that supplies two-thirds of Singapore's freshly-slaughtered pork may take up to a year to resume exporting live pigs, due to the African swine fever outbreak.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) provided the update on its Facebook page on Tuesday (9 May), after it halted imports from Pulau Bulan after detecting the virus in a consignment of pigs on 19 April.
Although the disease does not impact humans, it is highly contagious and lethal to both wild boars and pigs. SFA will continue to assess the situation on Pulau Bulan, which accounts for 15 per cent of Singapore's overall pork supply.
According to the agency, such food supply disruptions can "happen from time to time", adding that it is working with the industry to diversify import sources.
It added that Mexico was recently approved to export chilled pork to Singapore. Six pork suppliers from the country have been allowed to export their products to Singapore based on a circular from SFA dated 28 April.
Sufficient stock of frozen pork
Meanwhile, according to a Facebook post from the Meat Traders Association on Tuesday, there is a sufficient amount of frozen pork in stock that could last for months even if the supply chain is disrupted.
"Our members have access to more than 20 sources for chilled and frozen pork from different countries and these have been activated," said the association.
The association represents around 80 members from the meat production and trading industry in Singapore and has committed to supporting various businesses such as hotels, restaurants, caterers, retailers, wet markets, and cooked food stallholders to ensure a constant supply of pork.
The association also encourages industry players and consumers to be open to alternative sources and to consider chilled or frozen pork from other sources as well.
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