Pork prices expected to double during Dragon Boat Festival as Hong Kong slaughterhouse reopens following swine fever shutdown
- Government-owned abattoir in Sheung Shui had been closed for five days after virus was detected in dead pig
- Pork traders say temporary fall in supplies from mainland China behind the increase
The price of pork is expected to more than double at Hong Kong’s markets on Friday with the meat in high demand during the Dragon Boat Festival and the city’s main slaughterhouse reopening following a shutdown caused by African swine fever.
The government shut Sheung Shui slaughterhouse last Friday night, its second closure in a month, after health authorities detected the virus in a dead pig. The animal had been imported from Meizhou in the mainland Chinese province of Guangdong.
Thousands of pigs were culled and the slaughterhouse was then cleansed and disinfected. It was reopened on Thursday morning.
But traders complained that fewer pigs were being imported to Hong Kong than usual. According to the government, only about 1,400 pigs passed through the abattoirs on Thursday. Of these, 1,000 were from the mainland and 400 were local pigs.
The privately owned Tsuen Wan slaughterhouse remained open during the past week, allowing a small number of butcher stalls in markets to stay open.
