China’s African swine fever crisis ‘very serious’ with stocks falling and pork prices set to hit all-time high
- China has culled 1.02 million pigs since August, with a total of 129 cases discovered, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
- But industry insiders say the real situation could be much worse, with one report suggesting China could lose 200 million pigs during the epidemic
African swine fever has had a “very serious” impact on China’s pig industry, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, with stocks shrinking and pork prices expected to rise to an all-time high later this year.
China has already culled 1.02 million pigs since August, with a total of 129 cases discovered, said Wang Junxun, a deputy chief of the veterinary bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, on Tuesday.
The number of sows, or mother pigs, has plunged 21 per cent in March from a year earlier, said Wang, pointing to a supply problem in the future. Pork prices rose only 2.1 per cent in the first week of March from a year earlier, but in the first week of April, prices increased by 36 per cent.
“Pork output will fall, and supply will be tight. The price of live hogs will hit new historical highs in the fourth quarter of this year,” said Wang.
According to China’s statistics bureau, the country still had 375 million sows, pigs and piglets as the end of March, a rapid fall from 428 million at the end of December.