Swine flu refers to strains of influenza ("flu") that occur naturally and may cause outbreaks of respiratory illness among wild and domestic pigs. What Is 2009 Influenza A(H1N1)? This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. Mexico, Canada, and other countries around the world have reported human cases of illness from the new flu strain. The CDC, the WHO, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) confirm that there is no evidence that 2009 H1N1 virus is transmitted by food. These organizations have repeatedly emphasized that humans cannot get 2009 H1N1 flu, or any other type of flu, from eating pork or pork products. Four intergovernmental organizations—WHO, OIE, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)—issued a joint statement that "pork products handled in accordance with hygienic practices are not a source of infection." Given the safety of eating pork and pork products, along with the fact that the disease is primarily transmitted from human to human, several U.S. and international organizations argued that the disease should not be called "swine flu." Tyson Foods Inc. also reported a drop in domestic pork sales. How Did U.S. Trading Partners React to Reports of the Outbreak? Following the initial reports of the outbreak, USMEF and other media reports confirmed that several countries, among them mainland China and Russia, had instituted official full or partial trade restrictions on U.S. pork products. In June 2009, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) reported that 16 U.S. trading partners had officially notified the United States of trade restrictions on swine and pork products: Russia, China, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Malaysia, South Korea, St. Lucia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. USDA later reported that as many as 27 countries had imposed trade restrictions on U.S. pork products. Of all the countries that imposed restrictions on U.S. swine and pork products, the two largest in terms of their overall importance to U.S. pork export markets—China and Russia—account for an estimated with 15% of the value of annual U.S. pork trade ( Table 1 ). Russia and China lifted their restrictions after several months, following negotiations with the United States. Administration officials and many in Congress are strongly urging all U.S. trading partners to base any food safety measures on scientific evidence and to act in accordance with their international obligations under the WTO, OIE guidelines, and WTO member obligations under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement. Accordingly, it is argued, there currently is no justification for imposing trade measures against the import of pork and pork products based on 2009 H1N1. As some countries continue to pursue trade restrictions on North American pork products, some affected exporting countries are considering formal trade actions within the WTO. Many regarded the trade bans and restrictions as politically motivated or intended to protect pork producers in their own countries. Agricultural Markets Affected by the Outbreak? Pork producers in the United States began to see a downturn in U.S. pork markets in late 2007. The ongoing economic crisis in the U.S. hog sector, coupled with potentially negative effects of the H1N1 virus, remains a concern to the sector.
In March 2009, a number of cases of an influenza-like illness and severe respiratory infections in humans were reported in parts of Mexico. These cases were later confirmed to be a strain of influenza A(H1N1), commonly referred to as "swine flu" and later called 2009 H1N1. By the end of April 2009, confirmed human cases of 2009 H1N1 infection were reported throughout Mexico, in parts of the United States, and in several countries worldwide.
Reports of the outbreak—coupled with the use of the initial moniker "swine flu"—initially caused a downturn in domestic and international pork markets. Domestic pork demand and prices dropped sharply because of consumer fears that eating pork might result in infection. Several pork-importing countries also began to institute trade bans and restrictions on live pig and pork imports from certain countries, including the United States. This initial reaction further rippled throughout pork and other agricultural markets, such as feed grain and other livestock markets, as market analysts attempted to speculate about the short- and long-term consequences of a decline in pork demand and prices.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) confirm that there is no evidence that the 2009 H1N1 virus is transmitted by food and that humans cannot get the illness from eating properly handled pork or pork products. Four global organizations—WHO, OIE, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)—also issued a joint statement that "pork products handled in accordance with hygienic practices are not a source of infection."
Despite these assurances from U.S. and global food and health organizations, several U.S. trading partners began to implement or were considering implementing full or partial trade restrictions on U.S. swine and pork products. Administration officials and many in Congress are strongly urging U.S. trading partners to base any food safety measures on scientific evidence and to act in accordance with their international obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO), OIE guidelines, and WTO member obligations under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement. OIE, among other international organizations, has stated that there currently is no justification for imposing trade measures against the importation of pork and pork products. As some countries are continuing to pursue trade restrictions on North American pork products, some affected exporting countries are considering formal trade actions in the WTO.
In June 2009, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) reported that 16 U.S. trading partners had officially notified the United States of trade restrictions on swine and pork products; USDA reported that as many as 27 countries had imposed such trade restrictions. Of these countries, the two largest in terms of their overall importance to U.S. pork markets, China and Russia, account for an estimated with 15% of the value of annual U.S. pork exports. Both China and Russia lifted their restrictions several months later, following negotiations with the United States.
U.S. pork producers hope that efforts to avoid further negative effects on U.S. pork and other agricultural markets are successful. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has asked USDA to provide financial assistance for U.S. pork producers to address the general economic downturn in U.S. hog markets, including assistance to address issues regarding the H1N1 virus.