August 7, 2007

China orders better management of pork market amid rising prices
 

China issued an urgent notice Tuesday (Aug 7) ordering stronger controls over unscrupulous pork selling practices amid soaring prices for the country's staple meat.

In July, wholesale prices were nearly 75 percent higher than a year earlier, mostly the result of an outbreak of blue ear disease, which has killed tens of thousands of pigs in recent months and caused a supply shortage.

There have been widespread reports of pork sellers selling meat from diseased pigs or injecting water into their product to make it heavier.

"Industrial and commerce departments at all levels should strike hard and strictly fight against the practice," said a notice posted on the government's website issued by six ministries, including health, agriculture and public security.

The mandate also said that it was strictly forbidden to add illegal additives to pig feed and anyone caught selling tainted meat or using banned chemicals will be punished.

Pork is the meat of choice for most people in China, where city residents ate an average of 19 kilograms a person in 2006, the government has said.

The Chinese government has in recent weeks taken steps to tighten restrictions and surveillance over the country's problematic food and drug industries following international concern over its exports.

Chinese-made goods have come under intense scrutiny and have been banned or recalled in a growing number of countries after potentially dangerous levels of toxins or chemicals were found in the products.