SINGAPORE – Freshly slaughtered pork will be back on the shelves next week, two weeks after an abattoir in Singapore was closed for cleaning following the discovery of African swine fever in a consignment of live pigs from Indonesia’s Pulau Bulan on April 19.

The virus was first detected in pig carcasses at an abattoir in Jurong which has since been working with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to sanitise the premises and surrounding environment.

SFA said in a Facebook post on Thursday that the sanitisation process was complete, and that operations at the abattoir will resume when the next shipment of live pigs – from Sarawak, Malaysia – arrives in Singapore.

Live import of pigs from Pulau Bulan has been stopped, as investigations continue.

The pigs from that Indonesian island account for about 15 per cent of Singapore’s total pork supply, and around two-thirds of Singapore’s supply of freshly slaughtered pork.

Consumers can still buy chilled or frozen pork that comes from Singapore’s more than 20 sources of pork, such as Australia, Brazil, Denmark and New Zealand, SFA added.

The deadly swine disease, which does not infect humans, is highly contagious among wild boars and pigs.

“Food disruptions may occur from time to time, but if we play our part by being flexible and adaptable with our food choices, we can strengthen Singapore’s food security and get through these occasional disruptions together,” said the agency.

This is the first time African swine fever has been detected in pigs imported into Singapore, SFA said on April 20.