Hong Kong authorities to slaughter 32 pigs after African swine fever hits farm in Yuen Long
- Samples reveal 16 pigs at the farm are carrying virus, which is not harmful to people
- Spokesman for Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will arrange the culling ‘for the sake of prudence’
Hong Kong authorities will cull 32 pigs after detecting an outbreak of African swine fever at a farm in Yuen Long.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said on Tuesday that samples taken from 32 pigs at the Lau Fau Shan site revealed that half of the animals were carrying the virus.
“The AFCD has immediately suspended transport of any pigs from the farm concerned until further notice, according to the contingency plan on ASF [African swine fever],” a department spokesman said.
“The AFCD will arrange culling pigs on the farm concerned for the sake of prudence.”
The spokesman added the public should not be concerned as the virus would not infect humans and, therefore, did not pose any food safety risks.
The outbreak did not affect the operation of local slaughterhouses nor the overall supply of live pigs, according to the spokesman.
All local pig farmers have been notified of the incident and three farms within three kilometres (1.9 miles) of the infected site were inspected with no abnormalities found, the department confirmed.
In February, about 100 pigs at a farm in Sheung Shui were culled after 32 of them tested positive for the African swine fever virus.
The farm was investigated after the department received reports of “a number of pig carcasses” disposed of at a nearby station for the collection of animal remains.
100 pigs at Hong Kong farm culled over 32 cases of African swine fever
So far, no vaccine has proved effective against the swine fever virus that has devastated the global pork industry in recent years.
But governments worldwide have sought to control and prevent the disease by slaughtering herds, restricting their transport and improving farm hygiene.
However, a new vaccine candidate – developed by Chinese scientists – showed promising signs of tackling the issue.
Early stages show that infected pigs can recover after receiving the vaccine candidate.
