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Rachel Leung

Live pigs were back on Hong Kong butchers’ tables on Friday, after a three-day ban on fresh pork to allow the city’s slaughterhouses to be cleaned amid concerns over African swine fever.
Butchers at Tai Po Hui wet market said prices jumped more than 10 per cent as a result of a 20 per cent increase in wholesale prices from HK$1,500 per 100 catty to HK$1,800 per 100 catty.
“It’s still a holiday in mainland China and, with less supply, prices are expected to increase … but we tried not to shift the cost onto our customers,” said a man surnamed Pong, the owner of a meat stall at the market.
Pong said the price hike was more or less the same as during the same period last year.
“A 10 per cent increase is common for this time of year, regardless of the ban,” he said.
He said the suspension on live pigs could not have come at a better time, as consumer demand for fresh pork usually dipped during Lunar New Year.
“I believe the authorities took that into consideration when planning the closure of the slaughterhouses,” he said.

Hong Kong’s pork industry in January proposed halting the supply of live pigs to the city over the Lunar New Year holiday period, to ­conduct ­thorough cleansing ­operations after nearly 1 million pigs were slaughtered in mainland China to get the disease under control.

For the past three days, the city’s two main slaughterhouses in Sheung Shui and Tsuen Wan, and another smaller slaughterhouse in Cheung Chau, have been closed for sanitation.
The owner of another shop at the wet market, selling Iberian ham, said prices had gone up about 15 per cent on Friday. The woman, who gave her name as Wan, was not worried the hike would sour shoppers’ appetites.

“Business has been great this morning. I think the ­operation strengthened the public’s trust in our pigs,” she said.
A shopper surnamed Hung agreed.
“The pork was slightly more expensive than usual but it’s Lunar New Year and I would rather pay more for quality assurance,” she said.
Others said the effect of the halt was minimal.
“We bought two nights’ worth of pork before Lunar New Year so our family wasn’t bothered by it. I have more faith in pork now the slaughterhouses have undergone sanitation,” another shopper, surnamed Chiu, said.




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China pork crisis

Pork back on the menu in Hong Kong after live pigs return following three-day cleaning of city’s slaughterhouses amid concerns over African swine fever

Fresh pork returns to Hong Kong’s wet markets after a three-day closure of the city’s slaughterhouses. Photo: Winson Wong

Fresh pork is seen back on the market after three days of sanitation at the cityâs slaughterhouses amid African swine fever concerns, Tai Po Hui wet market. 08FEB19 SCMP/ Winson Wong

Recent outbreaks of African Swine Fever

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment


Prices jump 10 per cent but shoppers reassured by sanitation measures
Nearly 1 million pigs slaughtered in mainland China in bid to get disease under control



Prices jump but shoppers reassured following three-day sanitation amid concerns over African swine fever, which has caused nearly 1 million pigs to be slaughtered in mainland China.


Pork back on the menu in Hong Kong after live pigs return following three-day cleaning of city’s slaughterhouses amid concerns over African swine fever

Prices jump 10 per cent but shoppers reassured by sanitation measures Nearly 1 million pigs slaughtered in mainland China in bid to get disease under control

Prices jump 10 per cent but shoppers reassured by sanitation measures

Nearly 1 million pigs slaughtered in mainland China in bid to get disease under control