WA pig farmers stay alert for H1N1
WA pork producers have called for vigilance to protect their herds after a suspected outbreak of swine flu in pigs in NSW.
WA Pork Producers Association executive officer Russell Cox said he was confident biosecurity measures in NSW and WA would ensure livestock which crossed the Nullarbor from the Eastern States would not endanger local pigs.
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On Friday a NSW piggery was quarantined after samples taken from pigs on the property returned positive for virus. Further test results are expected to confirm the presence of the AH1N1 human swine flu strain.
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Cox said 90% of stakeholders in the WA pork industry had been advised of the suspected outbreak but all evidence so far suggested there was no cause for alarm. Cox added that people in WA infected with the virus posed a much greater threat to WA pig herds than the limited number of pigs being taken into the State from the east.
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NSW Premier Nathan Rees has stated that there is no heightened risk to people from the outbreak in pigs.
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