CANADA processors may avoid pigs recovered from flu

08.may.09
Reuters
Rod Nickel

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan -- Pork processors may be reluctant to buy pigs
that have recovered from the H1N1 flu, requiring the government to
compensate the farmer who owns the first herd confirmed to be infected
with the virus, a Canadian food safety official said on Friday.
That "troubling" scenario could undermine the emphasis from the World
Health Organization as well as Canadian food safety officials that pork
is safe to eat, Dr. Jim Clark, manager of the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency's disease control unit, said in an interview with Reuters.
"From the CFIA's perspective, there's no reason the food processors
shouldn't be able to (process the pigs).
"(Reluctance) is based on perception, and I understand the reaction in
terms of they're concerned about the impact on their business. But at
the same time it would be messaging in the opposite direction to what
everyone is saying to this point (about pork safety)."