https://www.scmp.com/rss/501055/feed A huge outbreak in mainland China of African swine fever, a disease that is not harmful to humans, but deadly to pigs, has resulted in more than 100 million pigs either dying from the disease, or being culled since August 2018. African swine fever has caused a shortage of pork, which is China’s most popular meat, driving up consumer prices to record levels. The US-China trade war has partially limited China’s ability to import extra pork, with China having imposed tariffs on shipments from the... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s pig prices have plunged to their lowest level in nearly eight years, as the country struggles to deal with a persistent supply glut triggered by the spread of huge industrial farms and a post-holiday drop in meat consumption. Live pigs were selling for 11.05 yuan (US$1.60) per kilogram on average during the third week of March, down 2.9 per cent from the previous week and 28 per cent from a year earlier, data from China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed. Prices are now... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348423/chinas-massive-pig-farms-spark-supply-glut-hog-prices-hit-8-year-low?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348423/chinas-massive-pig-farms-spark-supply-glut-hog-prices-hit-8-year-low?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Eight more wild boar with suspected cases of African swine fever were discovered near Barcelona, La Vanguardia newspaper reported on Sunday, as Spain struggles to limit the damage to a pork export industry worth billions of euros a year. The newspaper cited sources close to the Catalan agriculture ministry. Two cases have been confirmed, and 12 others have shown signs they may also have the disease but are undergoing tests to confirm this. If confirmed, it would bring the number of infected... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334699/suspected-swine-fever-cases-rise-near-barcelona-spain-struggles-limit-export-damage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334699/suspected-swine-fever-cases-rise-near-barcelona-spain-struggles-limit-export-damage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 20:00:52 +0000 Reuters Reuters Vietnam has been hit by an increasing number of outbreaks of African swine fever, with the number of infected pigs more than tripling in just two weeks, state media said on Tuesday. The country has detected 972 African swine fever outbreaks so far this year, up from 514 reported in mid-July, the Tien Phong newspaper reported. The number of pigs infected has risen to more than 100,000 from 30,000 over the same period, the paper said, citing Vietnam’s agriculture ministry. The infected pigs have... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320788/vietnams-swine-fever-infections-triple-2-weeks-over-100000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320788/vietnams-swine-fever-infections-triple-2-weeks-over-100000?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 06:56:22 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Muyuan Foods, one of the world’s biggest pig breeders and pork producers, is considering a second listing in Hong Kong that may help it to raise at least US$1 billion, according to people familiar with the situation. The Chinese company is seeking to hire banks to prepare for a possible share sale that could take place as soon as this year, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is not public. Deliberations are ongoing and details including size and timing could change,... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3301807/chinese-pork-producer-muyuan-mulls-us1-billion-secondary-hong-kong-listing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3301807/chinese-pork-producer-muyuan-mulls-us1-billion-secondary-hong-kong-listing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Mar 2025 09:57:40 +0000 One of Giovanni Airoli’s sows tested positive for African swine fever in late August. Within a week, all 6,200 sows, piglets and fattening pigs on his farm south of Milan were slaughtered under strict protocols to halt the disease threatening Italy’s 20 billion euro prosciutto, cured sausage and pork industry. Since swine fever appeared on the peninsula in January 2022, Italy has killed nearly 120,000 pigs – three-quarters of those over the past two months alone as the emergency... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3280838/swine-fever-sweeps-italys-north-threatens-production-prized-prosciutto-livelihoods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3280838/swine-fever-sweeps-italys-north-threatens-production-prized-prosciutto-livelihoods?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Oct 2024 11:35:59 +0000 For the first time since China became a major trading partner of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) nations, frozen beef ranked among the top five imports from the region into China in 2023, displacing refined copper, a US university study shows. A new economic bulletin for 2024 from Boston University’s Global Development Policy Centre said beef imports – mainly from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay – to China had doubled in volume in the past five years and roughly quintupled in the past... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273219/china-spends-big-beef-latin-america-caribbean-copper-drops-among-exports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273219/china-spends-big-beef-latin-america-caribbean-copper-drops-among-exports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Aug 2024 09:00:11 +0000 Hong Kong should learn to live with African swine fever and move away from mass pig culls, a top veterinary expert has said, as farmers appealed to authorities to step up financial support and testing measures amid the city’s largest outbreak of the disease. Since November, the government has culled more than 14,000 pigs, the biggest such operation on record, after samples from eight farms in Lau Fau Shan, San Tin and Kwu Tong tested positive for the virus. The outbreak affected about 20 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3247500/can-hong-kong-learn-live-african-swine-fever-expert-says-mass-pig-culls-not-answer-amid-largest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3247500/can-hong-kong-learn-live-african-swine-fever-expert-says-mass-pig-culls-not-answer-amid-largest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jan 2024 06:00:16 +0000 Hong Kong conservation authorities will cull 2,800 pigs after an outbreak of African swine fever was uncovered at a farm in Yuen Long. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) on Saturday said the operation would take place next week after a test of 60 samples taken from the farm in Lau Fau Shan found at least four pigs had contracted the virus. Officials had also arranged an inspection of two other pig farms within 3km (1.86 miles) of the initial site to collect samples for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3246112/discovery-african-swine-fever-hong-kong-farm-prompts-plan-cull-2800-pigs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3246112/discovery-african-swine-fever-hong-kong-farm-prompts-plan-cull-2800-pigs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Dec 2023 10:26:37 +0000 In 1798, Thomas Malthus published An Essay on the Principle of Population, warning that unchecked population growth put unsustainable pressure on food supplies, and that poverty, starvation and other miseries would follow. There were less than 1 billion people in the world then. With the world’s population surging past 8 billion, few theories can have been proven so comprehensively wrong. But what Malthus represented over 200 years ago is an unstaunched anxiety over poverty – in particular, food... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240969/israel-gaza-war-just-one-example-how-conflict-biggest-driver-world-hunger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240969/israel-gaza-war-just-one-example-how-conflict-biggest-driver-world-hunger?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Nov 2023 12:30:07 +0000 Hong Kong authorities have culled 5,600 pigs at a farm following an outbreak of African swine fever. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department took the action on Thursday after 22 pigs tested positive for the virus at the farm in Lau Fau Shan, Yuen Long, over the previous two days. The department also suspended the transport of any pigs from the affected farm as part of contingency measures. On Tuesday, it said samples taken from 32 pigs revealed that half of the animals were... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3240979/hong-kong-authorities-cull-5600-pigs-farm-after-finding-african-swine-fever-virus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3240979/hong-kong-authorities-cull-5600-pigs-farm-after-finding-african-swine-fever-virus?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Nov 2023 15:55:47 +0000 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3240696/hong-kong-authorities-slaughter-32-pigs-after-african-swine-fever-hits-farm-yuen-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3240696/hong-kong-authorities-slaughter-32-pigs-after-african-swine-fever-hits-farm-yuen-long?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Nov 2023 13:37:01 +0000 A promising new vaccine candidate has been developed by Chinese scientists to combat African swine fever, a highly contagious virus in pigs which can have a mortality rate as high as 100 per cent. The virus has devastated the pork industry globally in recent years, according to Weng Changjiang, co-author of the research detailing the potential vaccine. “It has resulted in economic losses of hundreds of billions of yuan for the swine industry, affecting the livelihoods of many people and industry... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3238468/promising-results-chinese-vaccine-trial-sees-african-swine-fever-fatality-rate-fall-zero?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3238468/promising-results-chinese-vaccine-trial-sees-african-swine-fever-fatality-rate-fall-zero?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Oct 2023 08:00:11 +0000 Hong Kong authorities have culled about 100 pigs at a farm in Sheung Shui after 32 of the animals tested positive for the African swine fever virus. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department on Friday night said the infections would not affect local pork supply or operations at local slaughterhouses, adding that the virus did not pose any food safety hazards. The 32 cases were detected during an inspection of a licensed pig farm at Ta Kwu Ling, Sheung Shui. 3,000 pigs to be culled... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3209934/100-pigs-hong-kong-farm-culled-after-32-cases-african-swine-fever-detected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3209934/100-pigs-hong-kong-farm-culled-after-32-cases-african-swine-fever-detected?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Feb 2023 06:39:19 +0000 Vietnam has collaborated with US experts to produce the world’s first commercially viable vaccine against African swine fever, a disease that has killed millions of hogs across Asia and pushed up global pork prices. The country partnered with scientists at the Agriculture Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture to develop the vaccine, which is now being produced in Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Phung Duc Tien said on the government’s website. The deadly hog virus swept... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3180142/vietnam-partners-united-states-develop-first-african-swine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3180142/vietnam-partners-united-states-develop-first-african-swine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jun 2022 07:26:21 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings US soybean exports to China are leading their five-year average this year, as the war in Ukraine and drought in South America hamper alternative sources, according to an industry body. American soybean producers shipped 27.3 million metric tonnes to China from September 1 to April 22, said Scott Gerlt, an economist with the American Soybean Association. Over the past five years, Gerlt said, China ordered 22 million to 23 million metric tonnes in the September-April periods. Russia’s war in... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3175444/china-trade-imports-us-soybeans-rise-ukraine-war-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3175444/china-trade-imports-us-soybeans-rise-ukraine-war-south?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Apr 2022 09:30:16 +0000 WH Group warned on Monday that the Ukraine-Russia war will push costs up and affect its profitability, after the world’s biggest pork producer reported a 7.2 per cent jump in profit for last year on higher sales. The company said it expected hog prices in the US to remain lower this year compared with last year, while in China it expects prices to remain low in the first half before trending higher in the second half. In Europe, however, it expects prices to remain high because of a range of... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3172167/wh-group-posts-72-cent-jump-2021-profit-higher-sales-outlook?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3172167/wh-group-posts-72-cent-jump-2021-profit-higher-sales-outlook?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Mar 2022 12:38:04 +0000 China’s reaffirmation of a long-term goal to be almost entirely self-sufficient in pork production means it will keep scooping up global grain supplies to feed the world’s largest pig herd. The country, which consumes half of the world’s pork, will maintain a target to produce 95 per cent of the protein at home until 2025. It wants to be self sufficient in poultry and egg, 85 per cent for beef and mutton, and 70 per cent for dairy, the agriculture ministry said, adding that they form part of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3160789/china-food-security-pork-self-sufficiency-push-raise-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3160789/china-food-security-pork-self-sufficiency-push-raise-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Dec 2021 05:26:59 +0000 China will raise import tariffs on most pork products next year after the world’s top producer rapidly expanded domestic production and reduced its needs for imports. Tariffs for most favoured nations will return to 12 per cent on January 1, from 8 per cent currently, according to a finance ministry statement on Wednesday. China lowered its tariffs on frozen pork in 2020 from 12 per cent to 8 per cent as the country faced soaring domestic meat prices in the aftermath of a devastating outbreak of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3159881/us-pork-producers-concerned-china-raises-import-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3159881/us-pork-producers-concerned-china-raises-import-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Dec 2021 01:09:31 +0000 What caused a bout of panic buying in China in November? It started with a notice from China’s Ministry of Commerce on November 1, 2021, telling local authorities to stabilise food supply and prices, including for vegetables, meat and cooking oil in preparation for the coming cold months. “Families are encouraged to store a certain amount of daily necessities to meet the needs of daily life and emergencies,” the ministry said. This sparked heated discussion online, with some users even... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3154982/china-food-security-why-it-important-and-what-caused?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3154982/china-food-security-why-it-important-and-what-caused?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Nov 2021 12:15:21 +0000 China’s huge hog sector is struggling with excess production after millions of small, often first-time, pig farmers entered the industry to capitalise on record profits during a swine-fever related shortage. Now, even as prices hover below the cost of production and the government urges them to cull their herds, many of the newcomers are reluctant to give up, dimming hopes for the market returning to balance. “We’ve been losing 400,000 yuan (US$62,500) a month since July. But we made a profit... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3154561/chinas-new-pig-farmers-determined-hold-despite-big-swings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3154561/chinas-new-pig-farmers-determined-hold-despite-big-swings?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Nov 2021 07:58:20 +0000 Hong Kong authorities detected African swine fever in a wild boar for the first time on Friday, sparking concern among local pig farmers that the deadly disease could spread to their herds. The carcass of the infected animal was found at Cape Collinson in Siu Sai Wan along a popular hiking trail on Hong Kong Island. Noting there had been unusual deaths among wild boars in the area, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said it would continue to monitor the situation. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3147554/african-swine-fever-found-wild-boar-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3147554/african-swine-fever-found-wild-boar-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Sep 2021 16:28:12 +0000 WH Group, the world’s biggest pork producer, struck back a second time on Monday at allegations by a former director that shaved US$1.4 billion off its market value last week. The Hong Kong-listed company, which owns Smithfield Foods, reiterated that recent allegations by Wan Hongjian, one of the sons of its founder Wan Long, were “untrue and misleading” before offering a lengthy “clarification” of the accusations on Monday. It issued a separate statement denying the allegations on August... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3146044/wh-group-strikes-back-allegations-founders-son-shaved-us14?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3146044/wh-group-strikes-back-allegations-founders-son-shaved-us14?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Aug 2021 10:30:12 +0000 China said it will release reserves of commodities “essential for livelihood” in a timely and targeted manner, the state planner said on Friday, after floods hit some regions and amid a resurgence of coronavirus infections in the country. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it will strengthen control and prevention of African swine fever disease in its pig herds after the flooding and would ensure supplies of essential produce from the impact of the floods and the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3144062/china-release-commodities-essential-livelihood-after-henan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3144062/china-release-commodities-essential-livelihood-after-henan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Aug 2021 08:30:14 +0000 China is taking hog biosecurity to new levels – 13 stories in fact. That is the height of a building in southern China where more than 10,000 pigs are kept in a condominium-style complex, complete with restricted access, security cameras, in-house veterinary services and carefully prepared meals. The seemingly luxurious conditions represent a state-of-the-art approach to biosecurity in which pigs – the main source of meat in China – are shielded from viruses, including the devastating African... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3143433/chinas-out-boost-food-security-13-storey-hog-hotels-protect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3143433/chinas-out-boost-food-security-13-storey-hog-hotels-protect?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Aug 2021 04:00:07 +0000 China’s animal husbandry association urged companies on Tuesday to donate large volumes of disinfectants for a county in the central province of Henan, where widespread floods have killed thousands of livestock. The rotting carcasses of dead animals easily produced pathogens, but disinfection material was insufficient, the semi-official China Animal Agriculture Association said on its website, after the farms in Tangyin county were flooded. It also sought donations of other disease prevention... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3142752/appeal-disinfectants-china-dead-livestock-rot-flood-aftermath?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3142752/appeal-disinfectants-china-dead-livestock-rot-flood-aftermath?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jul 2021 11:51:32 +0000 In mid June, pig farmer Liang Rixiang made the painful decision to downsize the hog farm she had been expanding for the past decade, selling four of her 10 breeding sows, two of them with babies. Liang’s farm of 100 hogs was relatively big for her village in northeastern Liaoning province. But neither she nor her smaller neighbours could avoid the economic pressure caused by plummeting pork prices, which have dropped as much as 60 per cent since the beginning of the year. “No matter how you... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3141226/how-chinas-pork-crisis-put-squeeze-struggling-family-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3141226/how-chinas-pork-crisis-put-squeeze-struggling-family-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jul 2021 03:00:22 +0000 Large numbers of pigs are dying from African swine fever in China’s top hog-producing province, say farmers and analysts, raising concerns it could spread further across the south and slow China’s pork production recovery. The deadly African swine fever virus wiped out around half of China’s huge pig herd during 2018 and 2019 but the country rapidly rebuilt much of the lost stock last year. But there have been fresh outbreaks in northern China this year, and there are more strains of the virus... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3140491/chinas-pig-farmers-suffer-again-african-swine-fever-surge-hits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3140491/chinas-pig-farmers-suffer-again-african-swine-fever-surge-hits?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jul 2021 08:12:16 +0000 Pork is big business in China, the only country in the world to have its own dedicated pork reserve. The government can tap into this reserve as pork prices shoot up or down, as they currently are amid another outbreak of African swine fever. There is no treatment or vaccine for the disease, and severe price and production problems could persistently plague the Chinese pork industry without more long-term solutions. Global ripple effects are likely here to stay for the foreseeable future. One... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3139642/how-lab-grown-meat-can-help-fix-chinas-pork-crisis-and-food?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3139642/how-lab-grown-meat-can-help-fix-chinas-pork-crisis-and-food?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jul 2021 05:30:20 +0000 China’s corn imports are tipped to reach a record high this year, but elevated prices for the widely-used animal feed are also boosting demand for alternative grains, analysts said. The world’s largest importer of corn bought a total of 3.16 million tonnes from around the world in May, a 395.3 per cent jump from the same period last year, and up from 1.85 million tonnes in April, according Chinese customs data released last week. Between January and May, it imported 11.73 million tonnes of corn,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3138348/chinas-corn-imports-set-reach-record-levels-year-high-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3138348/chinas-corn-imports-set-reach-record-levels-year-high-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jun 2021 12:30:00 +0000 Amanda Lee Amanda Lee China’s soybean imports increased significantly in the first five months of the year, in line with a recovery in the domestic hog population, but domestic demand for the crop looks to be more modest in the coming months amid rising commodity prices. China bought a total of 38.23 million tonnes of soybeans from January to May. The world’s largest soybean importer spent US$19.35 billion on the crop, up 44.2 per cent from the same period last year, according to Chinese customs data last week. Its... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3136989/china-food-security-soybean-imports-exceptionally-large-pig?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3136989/china-food-security-soybean-imports-exceptionally-large-pig?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jun 2021 22:00:00 +0000 Plummeting prices for China’s favourite meat mean a lot of the pigs that trader Zhang Yu is seeing in the market these days are supersized, or at least a little overweight. Low prices driven by sluggish demand and panic selling over African swine fever outbreaks are causing many farmers to hold onto their herds, and fatten them up, in the hope prices will rebound. “If they sell at the current price, they will certainly lose money,” said Zhang, who lives in a small town in the northeastern... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3136941/china-fine-tunes-pork-reserve-system-panic-selling-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3136941/china-fine-tunes-pork-reserve-system-panic-selling-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jun 2021 10:15:00 +0000 Obese pigs in China are being blamed for worsening a sudden rout in the country’s pork prices. Since late last year, farmers have been fattening hogs to almost double their normal weight – roughly the size of a pygmy hippo or a female polar bear – in hopes that the animals will generate higher returns should prices rebound. Cao Tao, a pig trader in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, said many of the swine he is buying weigh more than 200kg, compared with their usual size of around 125kg.... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3134750/chinas-obese-pigs-fuel-relentless-slump-pork-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3134750/chinas-obese-pigs-fuel-relentless-slump-pork-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 May 2021 07:16:40 +0000 China is stepping up efforts to control the spread of African swine fever, restricting the movement of live pigs within designated regions. While the country aims for a full recovery from the pork crisis by midyear, experts warn that this goal could be much further away. On April 29, the northern region of Inner Mongolia reported the country’s 10th sporadic outbreak of African swine fever, a disease that first erupted in China in August 2018. In all, 343 of 432 pigs were killed at one farm in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3132380/african-swine-fever-china-limits-live-pig-shipments-curb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3132380/african-swine-fever-china-limits-live-pig-shipments-curb?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 May 2021 01:00:18 +0000 Reuters,Bloomberg Reuters,Bloomberg China’s pork imports jumped to an all-time high in March on supply concerns following a resurgence of African swine fever in the world’s biggest consumer and producer. Inbound shipments increased 16 per cent from a year earlier to 460,000 tonnes, boosting overall meat imports to a record as well, according to customs data on Sunday. Purchases in the first quarter advanced 22 per cent to 1.16 million tonnes, data showed. Hog herds could have contracted by as much as 30 per cent from November,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3130257/china-trade-us-soybean-imports-surge-320-cent-march-brazilian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3130257/china-trade-us-soybean-imports-surge-320-cent-march-brazilian?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Apr 2021 06:18:44 +0000 Although pork prices in China have reached their lowest point in more than a year and a half, stabilising the nation’s pork supply remains a challenge amid risks of a possible second wave of the devastating African swine fever, analysts say. The wholesale price of pork, a staple food among Chinese households, has fallen for nine straight weeks, touching 33 yuan (US$5) per kilogram this week, which was close to the level in August 2019, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3128795/chinas-high-pork-prices-are-dropping-african-swine-fever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3128795/chinas-high-pork-prices-are-dropping-african-swine-fever?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Apr 2021 11:30:12 +0000 Taiwan has begun testing animals for African swine fever and putting in place movement controls near where a dead pig infected with the disease was washed ashore over the weekend. Taiwan has remained free of the disease, but has been on guard after the deadly virus ravaged farms in mainland China during 2018 and 2019, and is once again affecting the world’s most populous country. In a statement, Council of Agriculture minister Chen Chi-chung said a dead pig washed ashore in northern Taiwan on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3128493/taiwan-tests-herds-african-swine-fever-after-infected-dead-pig-washed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3128493/taiwan-tests-herds-african-swine-fever-after-infected-dead-pig-washed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Apr 2021 10:14:32 +0000 African swine fever remains a “major risk factor” for China’s pig production after the government this week was forced to step up its efforts to control a resurgence of the disease at home and in neighbouring countries. With concerns the African swine fever re-emergence may threaten efforts to rebuild its national pig herd, raising questions about food security and consumer inflation outlook, China has issued a new import ban and also cracked down harder on fake vaccines for the deadly disease... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125237/african-swine-fever-still-major-risk-factor-china-it-bans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3125237/african-swine-fever-still-major-risk-factor-china-it-bans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Mar 2021 12:30:07 +0000 China’s factory gate prices continued to rise in February, as producers passed on rising raw material prices, data released on Wednesday showed. The producer price index (PPI), which reflects the prices that factories charge wholesalers for their products, rose to 1.7 per cent in February from a year earlier, the highest rate since November 2018 and a sharp increase from the gain of 0.3 per cent in January. This was above expected, with a Bloomberg survey of analysts predicting a rise to 1.3 per... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3124771/china-factory-gate-prices-jump-february-producers-pass-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3124771/china-factory-gate-prices-jump-february-producers-pass-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Mar 2021 01:39:02 +0000 A Chinese state laboratory has detected two more-transmissible mutations of the African swine fever virus, a disease that has devastated pig herds across the country in recent years. In a paper published on Friday, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science’s Harbin Veterinary Research Institute said they carried out genetic analysis of various natural mutations of the virus found in seven provinces between June and December. Two of the emerging strains were highly transmissible... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3123434/china-watch-mutant-african-swine-fever-strains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3123434/china-watch-mutant-african-swine-fever-strains?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Feb 2021 15:00:10 +0000 As it bids to ensure the security of its food supply, China will switch to paying more attention to improving its domestic production having relied on record import levels during a coronavirus-hit 2020, a trade which is likely to stabilise or even start to drop this year. Included in its dual circulation strategy, food supply self-reliance has become a hot political issue and economic priority ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party this year. That is likely to impact the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3121423/china-food-security-time-boost-domestic-output-focus-imports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3121423/china-food-security-time-boost-domestic-output-focus-imports?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Feb 2021 04:15:05 +0000 China’s producer price index (PPI) rose for the first time in a year due to a rise in demand as the economic recovery continued and as factories passed on rising input prices, data released on Wednesday showed. PPI, reflecting the prices that factories charge wholesalers for their products, rose to 0.3 per cent in January from a year earlier, compared with minus 0.4 per cent in December. This was in-line with the Bloomberg survey which had predicted a rise to 0.3 per cent. PPI was last positive... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3121223/china-inflation-manufacturers-charging-more-their-products?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3121223/china-inflation-manufacturers-charging-more-their-products?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Feb 2021 01:48:03 +0000 Authorities have ordered all 3,000 pigs at a farm in northern Hong Kong culled after African swine fever appeared to be spreading at the facility. Six samples taken from one shed on the premises at Wong Nai Tun in Yuen Long returned traces of the disease on February 4, triggering the culling of 240 pigs, and two additional samples from another shed came back positive on Saturday, prompting the killing of 590 more pigs, indicating it was spreading, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3121210/3000-pigs-hong-kong-farm-be-culled-after-african?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3121210/3000-pigs-hong-kong-farm-be-culled-after-african?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Feb 2021 16:42:41 +0000 Despite warnings that Chinese authorities might block Australian wheat amid an escalating political row, wheat exports to China surged last month, underscoring a year in which overall trade between the countries approached a record high. After three months in which there had been no wheat trade between the two countries, hundreds of thousands of tonnes changed hands in December, valued at A$248 million (US$191.2 million), according to preliminary trade data from the Australian Bureau of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3119175/china-australia-relations-wheat-shipments-grain-hungry-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3119175/china-australia-relations-wheat-shipments-grain-hungry-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Jan 2021 20:30:16 +0000 The prices of fresh vegetables on the dinning tables of many Chinese households have been pushed to record highs at the start of the year, driven by an usually cold winter and logistic deadlocks resulting from sporadic coronavirus outbreaks over the last few weeks. Vegetable prices traditionally rise in January and February when the temperature drops and the supply is unable to catch up with increasing demand before the Lunar New Year holiday. But on Monday, a daily wholesale price index of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3119166/chinas-vegetable-prices-hit-record-highs-ahead-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3119166/chinas-vegetable-prices-hit-record-highs-ahead-lunar-new-year?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:30:10 +0000 China’s pork output posted a sharp recovery last year after the sector was decimated by an incurable hog disease in 2019, official data showed on Monday. China’s 2020 pork output fell by just 3.3 per cent from a year earlier to 41.13 million tonnes after plunging by 21 per cent in 2019, the National Bureau of Statistics said. But some analysts said they had expected a much bigger fall in 2020 after the African swine fever ravaged China’s breeding stock in 2019. China’s stock had fallen by an... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3118161/chinas-pork-output-recovered-sharply-last-year-beating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3118161/chinas-pork-output-recovered-sharply-last-year-beating?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Jan 2021 06:53:01 +0000 Pork is to Chinese what beef is to Americans. High pork prices have been a headache for many Chinese people, from homemakers to the most senior policymakers. The African swine fever outbreak, one of the world’s worst instances of animal disease, is to blame for the wild price swings over the past two years. Given pork’s importance in Chinese society, Beijing has pulled out all the stops to stabilise supplies and prices. The latest, 20 years in the making, is the launch of hotly anticipated hog... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3117285/trading-chinas-hog-futures-must-be-properly-regulated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3117285/trading-chinas-hog-futures-must-be-properly-regulated?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jan 2021 12:04:31 +0000 China has kick-started the trading of hog futures as the world’s biggest consumer of pork moves to provide a hedging tool for breeders who experienced bouts of wild price swings over the past two years caused by the African swine fever outbreak. Three types of contracts debuted on the Dalian Commodity Exchange on Friday. Opening a contract requires about 40,000 yuan (US$6,186) based on the minimum margin requirement of 8 per cent set by the exchange operator. Prices slumped by almost their 16... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3116960/china-launches-hog-futures-dalian-exchange-after-african-swine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3116960/china-launches-hog-futures-dalian-exchange-after-african-swine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jan 2021 09:19:21 +0000 Like most of the world, China’s economy has endured a turbulent year brought on by the wide reaching impact of the coronavirus. The year started on somewhat of a bright note as on January 15 the US and China signed their phase one trade deal, signalling a pause in the tit-for-tat trade tariff war that had raged for some 18 months. But just over a week later, China’s central government imposed a lockdown on Wuhan and several other cities as the realities of the coronavirus and its impacts began... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3115694/china-economy-2020-review-highs-and-lows-coronavirus-hit-12?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3115694/china-economy-2020-review-highs-and-lows-coronavirus-hit-12?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Dec 2020 04:00:07 +0000 This is the latest story in our series on the Covid-19 pandemic, a year after the first cases were reported in the mainland city of Wuhan. It explores the worrying gaps in China’s animal health services exposed by the new coronavirus, and what can be done to prevent future zoonotic diseases. Please support us on our mission to bring you quality journalism. When African swine fever spread like wildfire through China’s pig herd in 2018, it killed millions of animals in a few short months. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3115741/coronavirus-china-will-need-army-vets-defend-against-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3115741/coronavirus-china-will-need-army-vets-defend-against-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Dec 2020 22:00:07 +0000 China’s headline consumer inflation dropped into negative territory in November for the first time in 11 years as pork prices eased significantly, raising the risk of further deflation in the world’s second biggest economy and casting doubt on the nation’s real consumer spending power. Most economists, however, said last month’s decline in consumer prices, which was driven by a rebound in pork supply, did not indicate China’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic was under... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3113131/chinas-economy-reports-consumer-deflation-first-time-11-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3113131/chinas-economy-reports-consumer-deflation-first-time-11-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Dec 2020 01:51:41 +0000