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BEIJING / HANOI (Bloomberg): African swine fever is making a resurgence in Asia, threatening to reverse efforts to replenish national herds after the virus killed tens of millions of pigs in the region and created a major meat protein shortage.
New outbreaks have been reported this year in China and Vietnam, and the disease has even landed on the shores of Malaysia.
While new cases are scattered and isolated, they have warned governments that the virus is alive and well and there could be dire consequences if it is not kept under control.
African swine fever is deadly to pigs, but it is not known to harm humans. With no commercial vaccine yet available, authorities rely on strict biosecurity measures and the slaughter of susceptible animals to keep the disease under control. Below is a breakdown of the most recent situation by country.
porcelain
China, home to half of the world’s pigs, is the country hardest hit by African swine fever since it reported its first outbreak in 2018. More cases of the virus, which the country thought was under control, have been found in places like Hebei, Henan. Sichuan, Yunnan and Xinjiang. Hong Kong also reported a case on a farm.
The latest outbreak includes new variants that are milder but more difficult to detect, casting doubt on the government’s goal of achieving a full herd recovery by mid-year. Global traders closely follow the country’s progress in rebuilding pig numbers as it will define feed grain and meat import needs this year. China bought record amounts of soybeans, corn and meat from foreign suppliers in 2020, triggering price spikes across the board.
China’s pork prices, a key driver of inflation, are expected to remain high for an extended period as meat imports continue to climb to new records. In a sign of the government’s nervousness over the latest outbreaks, the Ministry of Agriculture has vowed to intensify its crackdown on illegal vaccines that have been linked to the emergence of new strains.
Lin Guofa, a senior analyst at Bric Agriculture Group, estimates that the decline in pig-rearing capacity will be limited to 10% this year because the disease is confined to northern regions and the situation is relatively stable elsewhere.
Vietnam
Vietnam has slaughtered about 2,000 pigs this year through the end of February following small outbreaks of African swine fever, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, which said the situation is still under control. More than 20 regions across the country have reported new outbreaks.
The country’s swine population was 27.3 million at the end of December, or 89% of the total recorded before the disease struck in 2019, causing the loss of nearly 6 million pigs. The country expects to start producing its vaccine against the disease from late June or early July.
Malaysia
Malaysia had its first outbreak of African swine fever last month and said 3,000 pigs would be slaughtered in the state of Sabah. The investigations began after the death of a wild boar and expanded after laboratory samples confirmed the virus in other pigs. This included the Borneo bearded pig, a breed classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
In a March 7 update, the Sabah government said the virus has spread to other districts, but the commercial pig farms that supply most of the state’s pork products remain free of the disease.
“Although ASF does not infect humans, it is capable of causing great economic harm and disrupting the well-being of our society,” said Chief Deputy Minister Jeffrey Kitingan.
South Korea
South Korea, which has not reported an outbreak since October, said it will strengthen preventive measures ahead of the wild boar breeding season from April to May. Rebellious wild pigs have been the main culprits in spreading the disease from the country’s northern border to local farms.
In late February, the nation tightened the border quarantine amid reports of new cases in other parts of Asia, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
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