Swine fever fight forces clean up for China’s pig farms

China’s pork industry is cleaning up its act in response to the devastating outbreak of African swine fever which has wiped out millions of pigs in the past year.

In a country where farm hygiene has often been seen as lax by international standards, sales of disinfectants and truck cleaning washes are booming as farmers try to fend off the virus. People involved in the pork industry say biosecurity has been tightened, from farms to feed mills to transport.

One farm owner, surnamed Ma, says she is disinfecting inside and outside pig barns every other day on her 4,000 herd pig farm, instead of her previous practice of once or twice a week.

She has also invested in her own truck for delivering pigs to the slaughterhouse and bringing in feed supplies to try to prevent contamination.

“We don’t let other trucks come in. It’s safer to have your own truck,” she said, adding that visitors were banned in case they brought in the virus.

Attitudes have shifted as the disease – which is not harmful to people but kills almost all pigs it infects – has reached into every province of the country. There is no cure and, importantly in changing long-term habits, no vaccine.