Suspension on importation and sale of pork products; as announced by MAF

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27 March 2020 : Samoa’s Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries (MAF) recently issued a public notice advising the suspension of the sale and importation of pork products as follows;

The public is hereby advised that in accordance with Cabinet directives issued on 18th March 2020, and noting the risk to Samoa’s Biosecurity, that effective immediately:
1. Suspension is imposed on importation of all pork products from the People’s Republic of China and any other country listed as having the presence of African Swine Fever (ASF);

2. Any permit issued prior to this Notice which allowed importation of pork and/or pork products is now varied to comply with this Notice pursuant to section 12(4) of the Quarantine (Biosecurity) Act 2005;

3. Any importation of Pork and/or pork products from ASF affected countries will not be authorised entry into Samoa;

4. Any pork and/or pork products which have been imported from ASF affected countries and which are currently being sold in stores must be immediately removed from sale until further notice is issued by the Ministry;

5. All expenses associated with the Re-shipment or Destruction of the consignment will be borne solely by the importer; and

6. Any breach of the conditions of importation and sale will be in contravention of the Quarantine (Biosecurity) Act 2005 and the Ministry may exercise its legal rights to enforce compliance.

7. Any non-compliance will result in 100% seizure of regulated articles by the Ministry may result in charges being laid under the Quarantine (Biosecurity) Act 2005.

8. The Ministry of Agriculture and fisheries will be taking samples of pork products being imported to test for the presence of ASF. The general public will be informed of the test results in due course.

9. Please obtain clearance from Samoa Quarantine Services should you wish to clarify countries for which approval has been granted for the importation of pork and/or pork products.

ASF is a highly contagious and often fatal disease of pigs of all ages. There are no approved vaccine against ASF.

We appreciate your cooperation to protect Samoa against biosecurity risks. For more information, please contact the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Quarantine Division on telephone number (685) 20924 or contact my office directly on 22171.

Source : MAF Public Notice

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