February 10, 2009
Blue ear disease comeback kills 1,056 pigs in China's Shanxi Province
Local authorities in north China's Shanxi Province have found that blue ear disease was behind the deaths of 1,056 pigs.
Experts went to the scene on Saturday (Feb 7) to examine the pig carcasses.
The pigs, mostly piglets, were found dead in Wan-an township of Hongdong County.
According to Wang Zhijian, vice director of the Hongdong public security bureau, so far 637 pigs had been buried and 25 burned.
Another 30 sick pigs were found at seven slaughterhouses around the county, said Jing Beiji, head of the Hongdong bureau of commerce.
However, no contaminated pork was discovered at markets or restaurants, according to Shi Hongtao, head of the Hongdong bureau for industry and commerce.
Two years ago, China's pig industry was ravaged by the blue ear disease, killing more than a million pigs, causing a pork shortage and contributing to the country's highest inflation in a decade.
