August 28, 2020

China to standardise test kits for ASF

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued new rules on August 28 to standardise the production and use of diagnostic kits for African swine fever (ASF), Reuters reported.

Many types of diagnostic kits are available in China but experts have questioned their quality and efficacy.

The ministry said that from January 1, 2021, all products used by provincial authorities in order to issue animal health certificates or for other disease monitoring purposes must have obtained an approval number from the ministry to ensure the accuracy of the results.

From September 1, any ASF diagnostic product that has yet to be tested by the China Animal Disease Control Center, has failed the test, or has been tested but is not yet registered by the centre must stop production.

Products that have been tested and registered but not yet obtained approval can continue to be manufactured till the end of 2020.