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African swine fever discovery spreads

African swine fever has been discovered in 23 Chinese provinces
pig production stock
(Shutterstock)

African swine fever, a dreaded disease, appears to have affected Chinese pork production.

Chinese pork output fell .9 per cent to 54.04 million tonnes as farmers, fearing still lower prices and the swine fever, dumped hogs on the market during the last three months of 2018.

The pig herd was reduced three per cent to 428 million.

African swine fever has been discovered in 23 Chinese provinces and the country says it has control of the outbreak.

Some U.S. observers dispute the Chinese claim. A spokesman for global financial firm INTL FCSTone, Arlan Suderman, told an online agriculture news site the Chinese say the problem is now contained and that they’ve lifted transportation bans on 90 different regions.

“The word is that this is unwarranted and may actually help encourage a spread of the disease further.”

China is now arresting people if they post pictures of dead hogs as the government is trying to contain this information, he said. 

Meanwhile in Eastern Europe, Bulgaria just discovered African swine fever in a wild boar despite a wall between Romania and Bulgaria built to keep refugee wild boar out.

In August, Bulgaria found backyard pigs with the fever near the Romanian border.

New research found the disease can be spread in feed.
 
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

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