Advertisement
African swine fever set to claim a quarter of world’s pig population
- While the disease does not spread to humans, it is virtually 100 per cent fatal once embedded in pig populations
- The outbreak in China has been particularly serious, with as many as 100 million pigs lost already according to the country’s official declared inventory
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
About a quarter of the global pig population is expected to die as a result of the African swine fever epidemic, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health.
Advertisement
Global pork prices are rising spurred by growing demand from China, where as many as 100 million pigs have died since the disease broke out there last year.
In recent months, China has been granting export approval to foreign meat plants and signing deals around the world at a dizzying rate. US pork sales to China have doubled, while European pork prices have now reached a six-year high.
Dr Mark Schipp, the World Organisation for Animal Health’s vice-president, said the spread of the disease in the past year to countries including China, which has half the world’s pig population, had inflamed a worldwide crisis.
Schipp said veterinary scientists worldwide were trying to find a vaccine for the disease, but that it was a “complex challenge” because of the nature of the virus. While the disease does not spread to humans, it is virtually 100 per cent fatal once embedded in pig populations.
Advertisement