Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when Public Health England first became aware that pig meat from the Netherlands and Germany was infected with Hepatitis E; and why steps were not taken to ban imports of infected meat.

Public Health England (PHE) knows of no published data that shows either German or Dutch pig meat contains the hepatitis E virus (HEV). Detecting the presence of HEV in foods to prove causation is technically extremely difficult.

PHE’s role is advisory. The Food Standards Agency is the regulatory body responsible for determining any necessary steps to protect consumers.

It is not possible to estimate the number of people who may die as a result of HEV. PHE is aware of a small number of cases, on average between one and two a year, where coincident HEV infection is included in the death certificate.