China culls 1,000 pigs as first case of African Swine Fever confirmed. Officials and pig producers are on high alert as China confirms its first case of African Swine Fever (ASF).
The highly virulent and contagious disease hit the Liaoning Province in northeast China where almost 1,000 pigs have already been culled in a bid to try and prevent further spread. This latest outbreak was discovered on a small farm with 383 pigs in the Shenbei New district of Shenyang on Wednesday (1 August), and was confirmed 3 August after 47 pigs had died. The remaining 336 pigs were also culled as a precaution.
China is home to the world’s largest pig herd so the industry is frantically working to ensure the disease is contained. The latest statistics state that the Chinese herd totals more than 433m head – over half the world’s pig population which currently stands at 769m. The European Union is home to the second largest pig herd at 150m head, followed by the United States with 73m.
This is the first time ASF has hit eastern Asia but has already been found in Europe, parts of Africa and Russia. The latest outbreak in China is also a huge concern for the pig sectors in Japan and Korea.
Once the outbreak was detected the Chinese officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs sprung into action: banning farmers from transporting pigs from the affected areas, and also banning the feeding of pigs with untreated food waste.
Source: thepigsite.com.
