July 4, 2007

China's Ningbo city establishes grading system for local pig farms

China's Ningbo city will roll out a system for grading local pig farms, which is much akin to the star grading system for the hotel industry.

There are some 172 medium and large scale pig farms--that rear more than 500 heads of pigs each--located in districts that fall within the jurisdiction of Ningbo city government.

Based on farm inspection reports that include data on feed and feed additives usage, animal medicines administered and vaccination status of animals, these farms will be graded.

Those which meet standard criteria will be accorded a star award, ranging from three to five stars. Those that fail to comply with minimum standards will not be graded. The results of the annual grading exercise will be made public through government websites.

Commenting on this new system, Yang Zhenyu, Director of Ningbo Livestock Bureau, said that maintaining stringent standards in live hog production is the first step towards ensuring safety of meat products.