March 9, 2010

FMD outbreak forces China pig price to decline

The outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Guangzhou has seen the price of live pigs fall to about RMB10 (US$1.50) per kilogramme.

The price for live pigs in the provincial capital was about RMB13 per kg in January.

A Guangzhou Jiahe Slaughterhouse worker said many pork traders had reduced the size of their orders because pork had become unmarketable in recent weeks, according to a report.

A suspected FMD outbreak, involving 1,474 pigs, was reported in Guangzhou's Baiyun district at the end of last month. The outbreak led to the culling of 8,382 pigs in the district.