Swine fever hits top pork producer
China orders WH Group unit to close abattoir in bid to contain second outbreak in two weeks
Beijing — China has ordered the world’s top pork producer, WH Group, to shut a major abattoir as authorities race to stop the spread of deadly African swine fever (ASF) after a second outbreak in the world’s biggest pig herd in two weeks. The discovery of infected pigs in Zhengzhou city, in central Henan province, about 1,000km from the first case to be reported in China, pushed pig prices lower on Friday and stirred animal health experts’ fears of fresh outbreaks — as well as food safety concerns among the public. Though often fatal to pigs, with no vaccine available, ASF does not affect humans, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. ASF has been detected in Russia and Eastern Europe as well as Africa, though never before in East Asia, and is one of the most devastating diseases to affect swine herds. It occurs among commercial herds and wild boars, is transmitted by ticks and direct contact between animals and can also travel via contaminated food, animal feed and ...
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