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Foot-and-mouth disease
On‑farm biosecurity takes many forms, and the risks that come with farm inputs may be overlooked. For intensive industries — where contact with neighbouring animals or wildlife may be less of a concern — it can be tempting to assume that your livestock are well protected by good boundaries.
However, the feed you offer your pigs can also pose serious biosecurity risks and overlooking them may be a recipe for disaster. Understanding these risks helps safeguard your animals and support a strong, healthy Australian pig industry.
Your pigs’ diet is an essential part of your biosecurity plan. Several emergency animal diseases (EADs) can spread through contaminated feed products, making feed a major risk pathway for some EADs.
African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting both domestic and wild pigs. While it has never been detected in Australia, outbreaks in neighbouring countries, including Indonesia, Timor‑Leste and Papua New Guinea, mean the risk is never far from our doorstep.
There is currently no vaccine or treatment for ASF, and it kills around 80% of the pigs it infects. An outbreak here would have devastating consequences for Australian pig producers.
ASF spreads easily via infected pigs (alive or dead), pork products, and can also survive in contaminated feed. Feeding your pigs any meat products or anything that may have come into contact with meat puts your animals at risk.
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most serious exotic disease threats to Australia’s livestock industries. It affects pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, camelids and deer.
However, the ongoing presence of the disease in nearby Indonesia and many other countries around the world increases the risk of incursion.
FMD is extremely contagious and would spread rapidly if introduced. Because it affects multiple livestock species, the impact on Australia’s agricultural sector and trade would be catastrophic. Estimates place potential control and loss of trade costs at more than $80 billion in the event of a large outbreak.
The most likely way FMD would enter Australia is through the feeding of illegally imported animal products to pigs. This is believed to have started the major 2001 FMD outbreak in the United Kingdom.
Other EADs that may be transmitted in pig feed include classical swine fever and Aujeszky’s disease.
The safest way to protect your pigs from these diseases is to avoid the use of prohibited pig feed (PPF) in their diet, also known as swill feeding.
PPF includes any material of mammalian origin and anything that has come into contact with such material. This includes items like pies, pizza, table scraps, deli meats, and even restaurant waste such as used cooking oils.
There are some exceptions, including Australian milk products and materials processed by an approved rendering method. You can find the full national definition on Animal Health Australia’s PPF webpage.
Feeding PPF to pigs is illegal in every Australian state and territory. It’s also illegal to allow pigs access to PPF or supply PPF to someone who intends to feed it to pigs.
Commercial pig feed is the safest option for maintaining healthy pigs. However, recycling food waste may be possible, provided you’re 100% sure none of the scraps contains or has been in contact with PPF.
You can safely feed your pigs the following recycled foods:
