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Christy Leung

Danny Mok

Kanis Leung

Elizabeth Cheung

A government-owned slaughterhouse will be closed for the second time in a month from Friday night following the latest case of African swine fever, with 4,700 animals to be culled.
Health authorities detected the virus in a dead pig at Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse, health chief Sophia Chan Siu-chee said.
The pig had been imported from a farm in Meizhou city, Guangdong province.
The facility, which provides 80 per cent of the local pork supply, will be closed for the second time in a month. It was shut from May 11 to 18 in the first case.




Chan, the secretary for food and health, said the government had asked the smaller, private Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse to remain open to ensure the supply of fresh pork, although the amount would be limited.
She did not say whether the operator had agreed to the request.
“When there is no reasonable explanation, it cannot stop slaughtering pigs. I think there is also a law,” she said.
The disease is not harmful to humans, but deadly to pigs. A huge outbreak of African swine fever in mainland China has resulted in more than a million pigs either dying from the disease or being culled since last August.
Chan said the pig was found dead on Friday at Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse with suspected symptoms of the disease. A tissue sample later tested positive for African swine fever.

The abattoir would be closed from Friday night for disinfection, which she said she hoped could be finished in four days.
“After the [first infection] we strengthened the inspections at the border. Vets were placed at Man Kam To [border checkpoint] to check every truckload of pigs. And upon their arrival at the slaughterhouse, vets were also there to check,” she said.
Pork supplies ‘could resume by Thursday’ after biggest cull in 50 years
Chan said 4,700 pigs would be culled. She appealed to the industry – which protested over the previous cull – to cooperate, saying the move was in line with international practice.
Hui Wai-kin of the Pork Traders General Association said the latest closure would definitely affect traders’ livelihoods, but he refused to estimate how much the price of fresh pork would rise due to the limited supply from Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse.

Lawmaker Steven Ho Chun-yin, who represents the agriculture and fisheries sector, said it was important for the government to set out the role of Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse in such an emergency situation, because it was hard for traders to sustain business.
“We have to sell a pig at HK$8,000 [US$1,025] to sustain business and maintain cost, because we have to pay our staff, regardless of whether we close the slaughterhouse or not,” Ho said, adding that he would request a meeting with Chan on Monday or Tuesday.
Pork prices likely to stay high in China – but that’s good for WH Group
He urged the government to slaughter all pigs by the end of each day to ensure the disease did not spread in the event of one animal being infected.
The city’s first case was confirmed three weeks ago, prompting the government to order the cull of 6,500 pigs at Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse to prevent the spread of the virus. It was the biggest pig cull in more than 50 years, according to industry veterans.
In that case, a pig imported from Zhanjiang in Guangdong was infected, and the batch it was in had already been put on the market. The incident posed no health risk to humans, as thoroughly cooked pork is safe for consumption.
﻿Watch: When 20,000 pigs were culled due to swine fever in 2018




But pork traders lashed out at the government for ordering the first cull, asking officials to spare the animals unless they had tested positive for the virus. Traders stood guard overnight to prevent officials from entering the city’s main slaughterhouse to cull the pigs, which were believed to be safe for consumption.
The slaughterhouse blockade was later called off as health officials and pork traders reached a compensation agreement on future swine fever outbreak arrangements.
The Tsuen Wan facility also closed its doors.
Hong Kong imports about 4,000 pigs per day from the mainland. The previous case prompted mainland suppliers to suspend the export of all live pigs into the city for eight days.
African swine fever can be traced to Kenya, where it was first detected in domestic swine in 1921. According to a leading expert on the disease, Professor Dirk Pfeiffer of City University, it can be transmitted by warthogs and specific soft tick species, which in turn spread it to domestic pigs.


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African swine fever

Second case of African swine fever found in pig in Hong Kong, sparking cull of 4,700 animals and closure of slaughterhouse

Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse will be closed from Friday night. Photo: Winson Wong

(L-R)Deputy Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (Environmental Hygiene) Diane Wong; Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee;  Acting Assistant Director (Risk Management) of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Dr. Jackie Leung Ching-kan; and Acting Assistant Director (Inspection and Quarantine) of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Dr. Kenny Ho; speaks to the press on swine flu found at a government-owned slaughterhouse in Sheung Shui. 31MAY19 SCMP/ Kanis Leung

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

Hong Kong confirms first case of African swine fever – and orders cull of 6,000 pigs at Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse

A pig at a farm in Liaoning province. Between 3,500 and 4,000 live pigs are imported from the mainland to Hong Kong each day and slaughtered for consumption. Photo: Reuters

Piglets are kept in pens at a pig farm in Langfang, Hebei province, China, on Monday, April 1, 2019. The higher cost of pork, a key element in China's consumer price basket, will cause theÂ inflationÂ barometer to rise rapidly in coming months, according to economists at Industrial Bank Co., China International Capital Corp., Citic Securities Co., and Nomura International Plc. Photographer: Gilles Sabrie/Bloomberg

Live pig imports to Hong Kong suspended after African swine fever case detected – but pork traders ask for cull to be halted

Some stalls selling fresh pork in Mei Foo fear they might have to close in the next few days. Photo: Naomi Ng

Staff dressed with protective equipment are seen at the Sheung Shui Slaughter House. The culling 6,000 pigs at the Slaughter House after the city's first reported case of the African swine fever virus. 11MAY19 SCMP/ Winson Wong

The Sheung Shui Slaughter House. The culling 6,000 pigs at the Slaughter House after the city's first reported case of the African swine fever virus. 11MAY19 SCMP/ Winson Wong

Mr Leung, the manager of  Shun Wah Butcher Shop in Mei Foo, said their store would not open on Sunday due to a shortage of supply. 11MAY19 Photo: Naomi Ng

Private abattoir remains closed despite angry calls by Hong Kong pig farmers for government action amid African swine fever shutdown

The supply of fresh pork has dried up at Hong Kong’s wet markets. Photo: Felix Wong

Image of the Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse. 15MAY19. Picture by Felix Wong

Workers clean Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse. 15MAY19  Picture by K Y Cheng.

Public slaughterhouse to reopen as Hong Kong lawmaker calls for private facility to lose its licence over response to African swine fever outbreak

Pigs are shipped into the Sheung Shui slaughterhouse ahead of it reopening on Monday. Photo: Winson Wong

Pigs photographed at the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse. 19MAY19 SCMP /  Winson Wong

Halt supply of live pigs in Hong Kong for first three days of Lunar New Year, industry urges amid African swine fever fears

Live pigs arrive by truck to a slaughterhouse in Tsuen Wan. Photo: Felix Wong

Pigs are transported by lorry to the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse despite around 20 mainland Chinese pig farms have suspended supplies to Hong Kong and Macau, as the African swine fever outbreak continues to spread north of the border. 27DEC18 SCMP / Edmond So

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Health authorities detect virus in a dead pig at Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse
Facility, which provides 80 per cent of local pork supply, will be closed for the second time in a month


Health authorities detect the virus in a dead pig at Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse.


Second case of African swine fever found in pig in Hong Kong, sparking cull of 4,700 animals and closure of slaughterhouse

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Health authorities detect virus in a dead pig at Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse Facility, which provides 80 per cent of local pork supply, will be closed for the second time in a month

Health authorities detect virus in a dead pig at Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse

Facility, which provides 80 per cent of local pork supply, will be closed for the second time in a month