China faces new outbreak of African swine fever

According to Reuters, a new outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) has wiped out at least 20% of the pig breeding herd in northern China.

According to Jan Cortenbach, technical director of feed manufacturer Wellhope De Heus Animal Nutrition, “at least 20% of the herd has been affected, perhaps up to 25%” in the northern and northeastern provinces of China because of outbreaks during the first quarter In Henan province, the country’s third-largest pig producer. Between 20% and 30% of sows used for breeding have died from the virus.

Officially, China’s Ministry of Agriculture confirmed eight outbreaks of African swine fever in the first quarter, focusing on small farms or pigs in transit in southern China. The authorities had also said that the sow herd grew 1.1% in January compared to December and grew an additional 1% in February.

In early March, the emergence of a new strain of the virus in China was already worrying the country’s authorities. At that time, it was estimated that the new variant had caused the death of up to 8 million animals.

The virus’s impact had waned by the end of 2019 since the number of pigs fell and large producers learned to minimize their spread by removing infected pigs from herds more quickly.

See the graph below showing a history of Brazilian pork exports to China since 2018:

Source: Valor Econômico

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