Imported Ham and Bacon

[Merlin66]

Why is it that all the Ham and Bacon products I find in the Supermarket are all imported products, or “pork imported from the EU”
Not enough pig farming in Oz????

[raymo]

Like so many products, it can be produced cheaper elsewhere, even allowing
for shipping costs. Obviously our wages are higher than almost all of asian
countries, and I think that also applies to the U.S.A.[ my Plumrose ham
comes from there.] With some products, like many countries, we export our
top grade output and import cheaper stuff for home consumption.
raymo

[rrussell1962]

Until COVID 19 I think it used to be called Competitive Advantage and Free Trade Agreements. It will be interesting to see what the New World Order looks like in the coming age of Supply Chain Security. Or do we have very short memories - I expect people were still getting on Trans-Atlantic Liners after the Titanic.

[gary]

Don't forget as well that we are concurrently undergoing a flare-up of a
global African swine fever pandemic that has recently killed over 25%
of pigs in the world. China lost about 60% of their pigs.

It's played havoc with the global pork market.

Apparently Australia imports 45% of the pork it consumes, mainly from the EU.

All fresh pork is Australian. Australia’s import requirements mean that imported pork must be cooked for a certain time and temperature
to ensure that any pig diseases present in the meat are rendered inactive.

70% of all ham and bacon sold in Australia is imported.

https://www.agriculture.gov.au/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/asf#strengthened-biosecurity-measures-for-permitted-and-unpermitted-products

[dreamstation]

I noticed this recently with the bacon in our Woolworths deli. Something like 12% Australian produce which is just not good enough. As far as ham goes there's a cheaper one that is a similar percentage but there's also a more expensive option which was 86% so that's the one that I got. Ultimately I think you're better off going to a local butcher that does their own hams and smallgoods as you know it is local produce. More expensive obviously but much better quality. This is what I'm trying to do now.

[Sunfish]

I agree with James. Just go to a good butcher. They will give you ham cured locally from Australian pork. . May be more expensive but worth every cent. We can get ham cured 20k away.

[koputai]

We discovered this about a year ago when looking to buy a heap of bacon for a BBQ. We could not find any bacon in several supermarkets that was more than 12% Australian. That means none of the meat was from Aus.


A couple of days later a guy walked in to where I was working, wearing an Australian Pork Industry shirt, so I got chatting with him about it.


He said that most bacon in Australia comes from the USA and Canada, with some from China, and that it comes down to our animal husbandry laws being much stricter than in those other markets.


He did offer some good tips on local places to buy locally produced bacon, which we've been buying ever since. It's a bit more expensive, but it's a much better product.


Cheers,
Jason.

[JeniSkunk]

Jason, what was his advice on getting Australian bacon?

[gary]

Things have changed with regards China.

Currently Australia doesn't import pork from countries where there is
an African swine flu outbreak. That includes China.

Incredibly the virus first appeared in Africa in 1907 and has been doing the
rounds of the world in the decades since.

Late last year it was detected in wild boars in Belgium so that country
is on the list of those from which imports are banned.

It is as close to Australia as Timor-Leste.

A chart can be found here :-
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/asf#travelling-to-australia

One way the virus can spread is if a pig is fed pork that contains the
virus.

It was widely reported earlier in the year that the big fear biosecurity
authorities have here is a visiting student from somewhere like China, Vietnam
or other places in South East Asia that have the virus being sent a food
package from home in the mail.

Tonnes of pork products are being confiscated at the Australian
international airports that people are carrying in their luggage.

[wavelandscott]

This is a huge global issue and most large animal production facilities have very strict regulations to help prevent the spread of this and other pathogens...limitations on visiting multiple farms and clean in clean out procedures. Serious stuff.

My employer produces essential amino acids which are a key ingredients in animal feed...the strict hygienic rules applied are on par with pharmaceutical materials.