HAMBURG – Germany has received some “cautious, positive signals” during talks with Asian nations about easing a ban on German pork imposed after African swine fever (ASF) was found in the European country, the agriculture minister said on Friday.
China and other Asian buyers imposed the ban in September after Germany confirmed its first ASF case, driving down German pork prices. Prices have recently steadied.
ASF is not dangerous to humans but is fatal to pigs. A massive outbreak in China, the world’s biggest pork producer, and elsewhere in Asia changed global pork trade flows.
“We are continuing to work to enable the export of pigmeat in third countries,” Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner told a German farming conference.
China, South Korea and Japan are major export markets, particularly for parts Europeans do not eat, she said.
