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African swine fever

Sergio Visini, the founder of Piggly farm, controls technical data inside a shed of the farm in Pegognaga, near Mantova in northern Italy. Photo: AP

Swine fever sweeps Italy’s north, threatens production of prized prosciutto

Italy has killed nearly 120,000 pigs since January 2022 when swine fever appeared in the country.

Italy has killed nearly 120,000 pigs since January 2022 when swine fever appeared in the country

2 Oct 2024 - 7:35PM

China spends big on beef from Latin America-Caribbean as copper drops

5 Aug 2024 - 8:41PMvideocam

Can Hong Kong live with African swine fever? Expert says pig culls not the answer

6 Jan 2024 - 9:53PM

Discovery of African swine fever at Hong Kong farm prompts plan to cull 2,800 pigs

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department say operation will take place next week, after four pigs at farm in Lau Fau Shan test positive for virus.

23 Dec 2023 - 6:26PM

Hong Kong authorities are conducting inspections at another two pig farms, both within 3km of the original outbreak site. Photo: Reuters

Outside In | Israel-Gaza war is just one example of how conflict is the biggest driver of world hunger

Almost all of the world’s worst food crises are the products of or worsened by war – from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan and Somalia, to Syria, Yemen and now, Gaza.

10 Nov 2023 - 8:30PMvideocam

Hong Kong culls 5,600 pigs at farm after finding African swine fever virus

Agriculture department says 22 pigs tested positive for virus at farm in Lau Fau Shan, Yuen Long, over the two days prior.

10 Nov 2023 - 11:05AM

Hong Kong authorities to slaughter 32 pigs over African swine fever outbreak

Samples reveal 16 pigs at the farm are carrying the virus.

7 Nov 2023 - 9:53PM

Hong Kong authorities to slaughter 32 pigs over African swine fever outbreak. Photo: SCMP

Promising results in Chinese vaccine trial for African swine fever

Chinese scientists reveal fatalities were reduced to zero after testing of potential vaccine.

22 Oct 2023 - 4:00PMvideocam

100 pigs at Hong Kong farm culled over 32 cases of African swine fever

Authorities say infections will not affect local pork supply or operations of slaughterhouses.

13 Feb 2023 - 10:44AM

Vietnam partners with US to develop first African swine fever vaccine

The deadly hog virus swept across China from 2018, slashing herds in the world’s largest producer and consumer of pork, boosting imports and sending meat costs soaring.

2 Jun 2022 - 3:26PM

Vietnam has developed an African swine fever vaccine for pigs in partnership with the United States, and is aiming to become the first global commercial exporter, an official said. Photo: Reuters

US exports more soybeans to China as war and drought limit other sources

Food security is a paramount concern for the world’s most populous nation, and its dependence on imported soybeans likely means ‘another good year for farmers in the US heartland’.

25 Apr 2022 - 5:30PM

China is the world’s top importer of soybeans, taking in about 97 million metric tonnes in 2021. Photo: Reuters

WH Group posts 7.2 per cent jump in 2021 profit, but outlook clouded by war

WH Group warned that the Ukraine-Russia war will push costs up and affect profitability, after reporting a 7.2 per cent jump in annual profit on higher sales.

28 Mar 2022 - 8:38PMvideocam

China’s pork self-sufficiency push to raise demand for global grain stocks

China’s self-sufficiency targets have been flagged since 2020 as part of Beijing’s food security goals, with a push to be almost entirely self-sufficient in pork production set to bolster purchases of soybeans and feed grains.

23 Dec 2021 - 1:26PM

US pork producers ‘concerned’ as China raises import tariffs amid supply glut

China lowered its tariffs on frozen pork in 2020 in the aftermath of a devastating outbreak of African swine fever, but rates for most favoured nations will return to 12 per cent on January 1.

16 Dec 2021 - 1:48PM

Imports surged to a record and remained at high levels through the first half of the year, even as the hog herd recovered and prices fell below production cost by the third quarter. Photo: Reuters

Explainer | Panic buying in China, but is there a food security concern?

China needs to feed 1.4 billion people with a mixture of domestic supply and imports, but recent problems like African swine fever, the coronavirus and natural disasters can impact availability.

12 Nov 2021 - 11:32AMvideocam

China needs to feed its 1.4 billion people, around one fifth of the world’s population. Photo: Reuters

China’s new pig farmers determined to ‘hold on’ despite heavy losses

Surging output and Covid-linked demand interruptions have driven down pork prices by 70 per cent this year, but many new farmers are determined to ride out the boom-bust cycle.

2 Nov 2021 - 3:58PMvideocam

African swine fever found in wild boar for first time in Hong Kong

Carcass of infected animal found at Cape Collinson in Siu Sai Wan along a popular hiking trail.

4 Sep 2021 - 3:45AM

WH Group’s family feud goes up a notch after US$1.4 billion wipeout

WH Group, world’s biggest pork producer said allegations by Wan Hongjian, one of the sons of its founder, are ‘untrue and misleading’.

23 Aug 2021 - 8:04PMvideocam

Wan Long is the chairman of WH Group, the world’s biggest pork producer. Photo: Nora Tam

Commodities ‘essential for livelihood’ to offset impact of floods, virus cases

China’s top economic planning agency says it will strengthen control and prevention of African swine fever after the flooding in Henan province, while also ensuring supplies of essential produce.

6 Aug 2021 - 4:30PMvideocam

China’s 13-storey ‘hog hotels’ latest weapon in food security fight

So-called hog hotels are being used to prevent virus outbreaks after an African swine fever outbreak in China in 2018 wiped out more than 400 million pigs – roughly half the nation’s herd.

2 Aug 2021 - 12:08PMvideocam

Appeal for disinfectants in China as dead livestock rot in flood aftermath

Agriculture association says disease prevention supplies needed to fend off pathogens.

27 Jul 2021 - 7:51PMvideocam

Pig farmer Cheng wades through floodwaters with a pig carcass after heavy rainfall in Wangfan village in Xinxiang, Henan province, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

‘You lose money no matter what’: China’s pork crisis squeezes small farmers

The African swine fever epidemic has accelerated a structural transformation in China’s hog farming industry, with small family farms slowly losing market share to agricultural corporations.

16 Jul 2021 - 3:11PMvideocam

Many of China’s small pig farmers are struggling to survive due to the pork price volatility that followed African swine fever. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s pig farmers suffer again as swine fever surge hits Sichuan

Virus wiped out half of the country’s hog herd in 2018 and 2019, and now resurgence threatens recovery.

9 Jul 2021 - 4:12PMvideocam

Opinion | How lab-grown meat can help fix China’s pork crisis

Embracing cultivated meat could help China bolster its domestic industry and produce more resilient, sustainable pork. A fully developed cultivated pork industry would mean less volatile prices, require less land use and produce far less greenhouse gas emissions.

4 Jul 2021 - 1:30PMvideocam

China’s corn imports on track to reach record levels this year

China’s corn imports are on their way to hitting record highs for the 2020-21 season, but high prices are boosting demand for alternative grains to use as animal feed.

22 Jun 2021 - 10:59PMvideocam

Analysts expect China’s corn imports for the 2020-21 season to hit record levels. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s soybean imports ‘exceptionally large’ as pig population booms

Rapid hog restocking following African swine fever and a post-coronavirus resurgence in the food-service industry are combining to dramatically push up demand for soybeans in China.

15 Jun 2021 - 9:14AM

Rapid hog restocking following the African swine fever outbreak has been a driving factor behind China’s strong imports of soybeans in recent months. Photo: EPA-EFE

China taps pork reserves as panic selling, sluggish demand see prices plunge

China has introduced a new system to manage its pork reserves and stabilise prices for the staple meat, as tumbling prices squeeze small farmers across the world’s second-largest economy.

12 Jun 2021 - 10:56AMvideocam

China’s obese pigs fuel relentless slump in pork prices

Sluggish demand, increased imports and panic selling by farmers after fresh outbreaks of African swine fever have combined to see wholesale pork prices plunge in China.

25 May 2021 - 11:25PMvideocam

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African swine fever

A huge outbreak in mainland China of African swine fever, a disease that is not harmful to humans, but deadly to pigs, has resulted in more than 100 million pigs either dying from the disease, or being culled since August 2018. African swine fever has caused a shortage of pork, which is China’s most popular meat, driving up consumer prices to record levels. The US-China trade war has partially limited China’s ability to import extra pork, with China having imposed tariffs on shipments from the US.

last updated:

2 October, 2024