Australia - Hearings into pig meat import risk analysis
Published:November 10, 2004
By:ABC NET
The third day of hearings into Australian Pork Limited's legal challenge to an import risk analysis for pig meat has heard from several overseas witnesses.
Amy Bainbridge reports APL is challenging the process behind an IRA from Biosecurity Australia permitting pig meat imports from more countries.
"Yesterday evidence centred around the statistical probability of the disease PMWS entering Australia in the case of more pig meat being imported, and the process that Biosecurity Australia used to calculate that risk.
"After hearing from APL's witnesses, Biosecurity Australia's first witness took the stand.
"Ian Gardner from the University of California said he didn't find a problem with the IRA's transparency, but when questioned further by the counsel for APL, he said he did have some concerns about calculations of risk used in the report.
"First this morning was Gordon Allen via satellite hook-up from the Irish Government, who said a new EU project will look closely at the agents that can trigger PMWS in pigs.
"And another witness, John Ellis from the University of Saskatchewan, said the prevalence of the disease in North America isn't yet understood, and more work could be done to find out what triggers PMWS.
"The hearing has been adjourned until tomorrow morning."
