Charges laid over pig semen imports

In Western Australia a pork production company and two individuals have faced court after being charged with deliberately illegally importing pig semen.

Apparently charged with aggravated illegal importation offences under the Biosecurity Act and Quarantine Act, the accused had been illegally importing pig semen for some years.

Illegal imports of pig genetics can carry significant risks. This includes porcine reproduction and respiratory syndrome and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). It has been estimated that FMD could cost Australia around $50 billion over a decade if it was to arrive here.

These imports can also increase the risk of African swine fever arriving in Australia. This disease has no known cure and is another major threat to our $5.3 billion pork industry.

The case was first uncovered in January 2017 and has been the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.

There are no food safety or ongoing biosecurity concerns associated with this case. The biosecurity risks have been effectively managed and there is no impact on the safety of Australian pork or our animal health.

It is illegal to import any genetics (semen, embryos or ova) or live pigs so nothing can be imported legally. Currently the maximum penalty for an ‘illegal importation to obtain a commercial advantage’ is 10 years’ jail and/or 2000 penalty units ($420,000). For a corporation the maximum penalty is 10,000 penalty units ($2.1 million).

The Biosecurity Redline is happy to accept anonymous tip-offs on 1800 803 006.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/yevgeniy11