Keep updated on African Swine Fever news. The mortal pig virus is affecting new countries and regions almost every month. It has reached the Americas, already infecting the Dominican Republic and Haiti’s pig herds. The US island of Puerto Rico is just a few miles away from infected countries.
The whole US pork industry is at risk if the ASF reaches its territory. Export markets, mostly China and Mexico would be shut down, leaving potentially 25% of US pig meat production without a buyer. Such potential catastrophe could severely hit pork price and also corn price (main component of pig feed).
Haiti has recorded its first outbreak of the fatal pig virus, african swine fever, in 37 years. On August 26th 2021, The world organization for animal health “OIE” said it officially detected an ASF infection in the location of Anse-a-Pitre, a town near Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic (both countries share the island of…
Dr. Paul Sundberg, US Executive Director and the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) responds to risks the presence of ASF in Dominican Republic and Haiti represents to the US pork industry, and especially to the neighboring island of Puerto Rico. African Swine Fever in the DR update The Dominican republic’s got africanswine feed the first…
According to the information provided by the Chinese food authorities, the country’s pig herd has recovered to 2018 figures, before the ASF devastated 40% of the stock. The recovery of the pig stock has sent prices of pork stumbling to minimums. In addition to the stock recovery, new outbreaks of ASF in China has sent…
Continue Reading China recovers its pig herd to pre ASF level and pork price reaches minimums
More than sixte per cent of the world pork population is in Asia. Pork is widely consumed but you know what, this delicacy which is a source of food and income for millions of people is at risk. In recent years african swine fever, a deadly pig disease, has been spreading through Asi. In the…
Through the tests conducted by the USDA Plum Island labs within the animal health cooperation agreement with the Dominican Republic (DR) government, the USDA confirmed the first african swine fever contaminations in the island the last week of July 2021. The news fuels concerns that the ASF disease could move to the US; the DR…
Continue Reading African Swine Fever in Dominican Republic, ASF knocks on the back door
The price of pork plummeted in China in the first semester of 2021. The size of the pig herd is China just recovered to pre African Swine Fever levels of 2017-2018, much earlier than anticipated. Ranking of Pig Herd size per country 2021, beginning stockPre African Swine Fever, beginning of 2018201920202021 USDA Report JulyChina441,589428,070310,410406,500Europe (27…
Continue Reading China recovers pre ASF pig herd and pork price stumbles
@OIEAnimalHealth confirmed ASF has landed in the Americas at two farms in the Dominican Republic
In the first half of 2020, January-July 2020, the swine production in China posted another reduction, falling 19.1% compared to the same period of 2019. The year over year decrease in the second quarter 2020, however, was much smaller, with a 4.7% reduction.
Pork meat production in China for the first half of 2020 was recorded at 19.98 million metric tonnes from 251 million hogs.
This deceleration of the falls reflects all the efforts from the Chinese government to replenish its swine herd since the 40% depletion caused by the African Swine Fever that started at the end of 2018.
The pig herd is estimated to have recovered when compared with the last report of March 2020. A total of 340 million heads herd was reported for June 30 2020, up from 321 million in March, representing almost a 6% recovery.
Despite being 2.2% smaller than in June 2019, these figures shows China is making a big effort to rebuild the herd.
Chinese pork production was estimated to fall from 42.6 million tonnes to 34.0 million tonnes un 2020 compared to previous year, with a breeding stock of sows of 36.3 million.
However, the recent outbreaks of ASF (June 2020), expanded or caused by the flooding of the Yang Tse River, and the appetite of Chinese government controlled companies to pay a higher price for any meat import, suggests that the impact of ASF in 2020 could be returning.
Over 30 pigs have died at Nakonde and Shiwang’andu aras, in Muchinga, the north of Zambia in Central Africa.
As of July 19th 2020. There were at least other 400 pigs at the same piggeries that could also been infected.
Zambia produces some 33.000 metric tonnes of pork meat annually, and the swine production has been rising for many years to cope with population and income growth. Pork production has been helped by adapted genetics produced by companies like Zambian Pig Genetics, that also serves other pig production markets in central Africa like Uganda, Congo, Angola and Tanzania. The developed genetics cope well with the rusticity and feed restrictions required for pork farming in Africa.
The heavy rains and the floods of the Yang Tse River are disseminating the African Swine Virus across the country. Since early July 2020 new ASF cases were confirmed in mainland China.
China is trying to recover from its 40% loss of the swine herd (about 200 million pigs) since the first outbreak of ASF in 2018. Pork price in China tripled in the last quarter of 2019, and it was now, July 2020, about twice as normal as China seemed to be recovering from the massive culling of pigs. The new outbreaks have already caused a 15% increase in retail pork meat prices in China, despite all of the government efforts to control it.
Due to the secrecy of the Chinese government, it is unknown the real impact of the new outbreak. But is clear that it can have a big impact as China is already paying for alternative meats such as beef, mainly imported from Brazil and Argentina.
US Pork exports could also benefit from a new outbreak, despite already reaching record export volumes to China in the last 9 months. China desperately needs more pork, or any red meat.
Three regions of Papua New Guinea have been recently reported with ASF outbreaks. The regions are Enga, Southern Highlands and Hela in the central mainland of the country.
The Papua New Guinea Government has dedicated a free phone line to report ASF cases: 180 332.
The swine herd of Papua New Guinea is estimated at 2 to 3.5 million pig heads. Due to the informality of the pork industry, the pork stock cannot be estimated more precisely.
Despite of being part of an island, the African Swine Fever have struck the country. And it can be a blow to the protein consumption for a country with 8.7 million population, meaning a ratio of one pig per 0.4 inhabitant.
Both Australia and New Zealand are cooperating with the Papua New Guinea Government and pig farmers to contain the desease.
In July 2020, Germany decided to extend the fence in order to prevent ASF infected Polish wild boars to cross the border.
The wild boar fence in located in the German territory, but just 5 meters away from the Polish soil. The fence now will extend for over 300 km across the limit from both European countries.
While Germany is an ASF free territory, Poland has already suffered many African Swine Fever outbreaks.
Germany is one of the largest producers of pork in Europe and in the world, and an African Swine Fever outbreak could devastate thousands of piggeries. Germany ranks third globally in pork production, only after China and the US.
Germany has a swine herd of 26 million, producing 55 million pig carcasses a year, equivalent to 5.2 million tonnes.
Pork production has a long tradition in Germany. The methods and structures of production have reached high levels, and animal genetics, animal health, production equipment and hygiene are continually being improved.
Paradoxically, Germany had so far benefited from African Swine Fever, raising its exports to China. But a recent outbreak of other desease, now affecting humans, the COVID 19, has caused the largest pork meat packing company in Germany, Tonnies, to stop exporting as more than 1.500 employees were infected at the same plant.
