The Chinese government is enacting new procedures in an effort to curb the spread of African Swine Fever in the country after detecting the disease at a large hog farm this week.
According to media reports, the new policies include increased testing for the disease and shutdown protocols in the event of a detection.
Since the disease was first detected in August 2018, it has been found more than 90 times in 23 provinces and municipalities across China. This week, a new outbreak was reported on a farm with 73,000 pigs in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, the largest farm yet with a detection.
Under the new policy, Chinese slaughterhouses will be required to conduct testing on products to screen for the disease before selling them to the public. If an outbreak is detected, the facility is to cull pigs to be slaughtered and suspend operations for at least 48 hours.
The new changes will go into effect at the beginning of February.
Humans are not susceptible to ASF, but it can be deadly for pigs. More than 200,000 pigs have been depopulated in China since the first detection last year, but the disease has not yet spread to North America.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com
