September 3, 2018

Danish pork industry could gain from China's losses

Announcing its fifth African swine fever (ASF) outbreak on Friday, the number of culled pigs in China has rapidly climbed to more than 38,000 according to state media.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has also warned that the disease could possibly spread to other parts of Asia.

With the epidemic rapidly increasing within the country, it could perhaps leave China with no choice but to increase its import of pork, said Jens Munk Ebbesen from the National Veterinary Institute, Agriculture & Food.

As China struggles to contain the internal widespread of ASF, it may mean an opportunity for Denmark's pork industry, which is known for its high veterinary standards when it comes to animal health and food safety.

Previously, during a bird flu epidemic in South Korea, the situation turned out to be a profitable one for Danish poultry exports.

While booming pork exports to China has yet to be confirmed, Anette Botner, professor in Virology at the Veterinary Institute of Technical University of Denmark, concluded, "I believe the ASF incidences are just the tip of the iceberg for China's problems with the disease."