Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 12/26/18



Additional African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks in and near Guangdong Province prompted nearly 20 pig farms in China to stop sending supplies to Hong Kong and Macau, according to a news report.

The new outbreaks bring the number of cases since August to 92.

Eighteen of 154 mainland China pig farms stopped supplying pigs to Hong Kong and Macau, according to the report in the South China Morning Post. Four of 17 affected farms in Guangdong stopped sending supplies because they were within the ASF-infected area, the report said.

The rest were near contaminated zones while one affected farm was in Hubei Province, the paper reported. China’s agriculture ministry also reported a new ASF outbreak in the city of Huizhou in Guangdong that marked the third outbreak reported in the province in a single week.

Mainland pig farms ship as many as 4,000 live pigs to Hong Kong daily, although an official with the Pork Traders General Association of Hong Kong said seasonal demand for pork is low, according to the newspaper.

Meanwhile, ministers in Taiwan have accused Chinese officials of failing to be transparent about the ASF outbreaks, The Taiwan News reported.

Smithfield Foods Inc. CEO Ken Sullivan recently told Bloomberg News that ASF has the potential to have “significant market impacts in 2019,” as China may need to tap more international markets. Smithfield – the world’s top pork products producer – also hopes to resume shipments to China once the trade dispute between the United States and China is resolved. U.S. producers also are working to prevent ASF from arriving at U.S. pig farms, Sullivan added.

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