November 26, 2018

China attempts to stabilise pork supply as swine fever epidemic continues
 

As China reported the first cases of African swine fever in Beijing, the country will attempt to keep pork supplies stable by adjusting rules which tackle the spread of the disease, an official said.
 

In the recent cases, the disease was detected in two farms in a southwestern district of Beijing, Reuters reported. China has so far responded to such outbreaks with bans preventing pigs from moving out of affected provinces and regions. Consequentially, these actions sparked a glut in some areas and shortages in others. It also created challenges for farmers who want to sell their pigs or are impacted by very low prices in areas with excessive supplies.

"Restrictions on trans-region transport of pigs and products have affected the production cycle of some enterprises," Feng Zhongwu, chief of the animal husbandry and veterinarian bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, told a press briefing in Beijing.

Even then, he noted that hog supplies in the Chinese market is still adequate. In addition, an outbreak in Fangshan will not affect supplies in Beijing.

"We will adjust our supervision measures based on the production and supplies situation," he said.

While the Chinese government continues to curtail the spread of African swine fever, authorities would facilitate the smoother transport of piglets, Feng said. Also, in order to reduce the burden faced by farms with growing herds that are stopped by bans to move to places with higher demand, the country will allow hogs to be slaughtered near affected areas. 

China will also strengthen the transport of pigs and products from major producing provinces to consuming areas so as to stabilise prices, according to Feng.

Currently, 73 cases of African swine fever in 20 provinces, including the latest two outbreaks in Beijing, have been confirmed so far. As of November 22, a total number of 600,000 pigs had been culled.

Even as China is not out of the woods with its swine fever situation, the epidemic could likely get worse: Huang Baoxu, deputy director of the China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center, warned of the rising risks of a new strain of  the disease - which is likely to have originate from outside China - passed from a wild boar to farm-raised pigs 

"The complexity and time-span to control the spread of African swine fever will increase significantly once there is an interactive infection between wild boars and domestic pigs," Huang said.

- Reuters