Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 7/8/19


A Cargill Inc. executive is predicting that the fallout from African Swine Fever (ASF) in China could stretch into the next decade even as Chinese officials contend that pork production is recovering.

John Fering, managing director for Cargill’s premix and nutrition operations in China, told the South China Morning Post that the deadly disease could impact China’s pork market “several years, if not a decade” in recovering from ASF. The virus kills most pigs once infected, and already has been reported to have spread to most Chinese provinces, prompting the import of other proteins, specifically poultry. Some regional observers already are expecting a production decline of 45% for 2019, Fering added.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials report that new cases of ASF actually have declined in the last seven months to 44 new outbreaks versus 99 new cases being reported between August and December of 2018, according to a report from Agence-France Presse.

An estimated 1.2 million pigs in China have been culled in the last 10 months as the outbreak spread to North Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. China’s pork imports climbed by 63% in May 2019 compared with the same period one year ago, the report added.

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