Swine fever outbreak prompts call to slaughter Hong Kong pigs separately from imported mainland Chinese livestock
In the wake of a mass cull of pigs on the mainland, experts say it is vital steps are taken to prevent the spread of African swine fever in Hong Kong
Hong Kong has been urged to slaughter local pigs separately from those imported from mainland China over fears of a rapid spread of African swine fever that has already caused more than 24,000 pigs to be culled.
“People can take infection from the slaughterhouse back to the farm,” said Professor Dirk Pfeiffer at City University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences. “You need to separate that completely. Slaughter the local pigs in a different slaughterhouse and the mainland [Chinese] pigs have their own chain.”
Hong Kong imports about 4,000 live pigs a day from the mainland, while about 290 pigs are supplied daily by local farms.
There have been four outbreaks of the highly contagious swine disease on the mainland this month. It was first reported on August 3 in the northeastern city of Shenyang. The virus causes a haemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in pigs. The most virulent forms are lethal in 100 per cent of infected animals.