China to lose up to 200-million pigs to swine fever
The country’s 2019 pork output could drop by 30% from 2018, says Rabobank
Beijing — Up to 200-million pigs could be culled or die from being infected as African swine fever spreads through China, Rabobank said, by far the highest such forecast yet and underscoring the gravity of the epidemic in the world’s top pork producer. Such a number would mark a huge chunk of the nation’s pig herd, which Rabobank says stood at 360-million animals late in 2018, and comes as many in the industry say the spread of swine fever there is much worse than authorities have reported. The drop would drag down China’s pork output by 30% in 2019 from 2018, Rabobank said, boosting demand for meat imports and sapping appetite for animal feed made from commodities such as soya beans. “It’s unprecedented, and there are many dimensions of the situation that are still not fully understood,” said Justin Sherrard, Rabobank’s global strategist for animal protein. A total of between 150-million and 200-million pigs will die from being infected with African swine fever or culled in the wa...
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