The African Swine Fever epidemic has become a global crisis.

‘Not enough pork in the world’ to deal with China’s demand for meat
With hundreds of millions of pigs dead from swine fever, exporters are scrambling to fill the gap. But prices are soaring
Sat 23 Nov 2019 16.00 GMT
The cost of living in China has outstripped the 3% government target for the first time in a decade, and a big part of the problem is the soaring price of pork, which is being driven up by a widespread outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).

Pork is a big deal in China. The average Chinese person gets through about 30kg of pork a year (by comparison, people in US eat about 26kg of beef a year and UK consumers about 18kg). Since August 2018, when China notified the World Organisation for Animal Health that ASF was in the country, the disease has spread with extraordinary speed.

Some 40% of Chinese pigs – hundreds of millions of animals – have now been lost, and the result has been a chronic shortage of pork and rocketing prices. The Chinese government has been forced to dig into its gigantic emergency reserves of frozen meat.

“The producer price has risen 125% since July,” said Rupert Claxton of international food consultancy Girafood. That increase has helped drive up China’s inflation rate, which in October broke through the government target of 3% to hit 3.8%.

Zhu Zhenchun, a restaurateur in Shenzhen, south-east China, told the Observer: “We’re spending about 10,000 yuan more a month just because of the price increase. [That is the equivalent of monthly salaries for two restaurant employees.] Everyone knows this is a problem now. Everyone is hoping the price will come down either before or just after Chinese New Year. If it doesn’t, that could make some people think differently about their businesses.”

Pork imports into China have also rocketed. In September last year 94 million kg were shipped in, but the ASF crisis has pushed imports to 161 million kg this year and officials are now rushing to certify farms in Brazil, Ireland and several other countries for export at an unprecedented rate to satisfy demand. Two weeks ago, they lifted a ban on imports from Canada.

As a result pork prices are rising outside China too. Europe has seen a jump of at least 35% since the beginning of the year. “The problem is that total global pork exports in 2018 were 8 million tonnes, and China is short 24 million,” said Claxton. “There just isn’t enough pork in the world to fill the gap.”

African swine fever is a highly contagious virus which is fatal to pigs. It is extremely hardy, can survive being cooked and processed, and will endure in frozen meat for a number of years. It is transmitted directly between animals, or by the feeding of infected meat, and there have also been cases of infected animal feed.

ASF has been circulating in Europe for a number of years, but it began to spread at a more rapid rate last year. It is now reported in more than 40 countries, and earlier this week was discovered to have leapt 300km across Poland from its easternmost provinces to farms near its western border.

Alistair Driver of UK monthly magazine Pig World said this was extremely concerning. “That is just 70km from the German border, and Germany is one of the largest pork exporters in the world.”

In China, and neighbouring Vietnam, the disease has spread with shocking rapidity, thanks partly to local buying habits: live pigs are regularly transported to supply the markets and butchers where most consumers buy their pork (there is still some distrust of the chilled meat in plastic packages that western consumers prefer). And despite recent government plans to modernise, the Chinese pig industry is also still dominated by small backyard farmers.

The fact that there is very little compensation available for farmers whose pigs contract ASF has raised suspicions that some infected pigs are taken straight to market and sold into the supply chain. “This is one of the reasons why western governments compensate farmers,” said Claxton.

The rest of the world is waiting anxiously to see where ASF will hit next. The US is currently passing legislation to increase the number of border inspectors, while Denmark and Germany are building sturdy fences in a bid to keep out wild boar.

“In the UK it is now more a case of being prepared for it to arrive than trying to shut it out,” said Zoe Davies of the National Pig Association. She worries about the large number of smallholders in the UK “who aren’t taking this seriously, who believe that pigs are there to recycle kitchen scraps. Just one pet pig [with the virus] and that’s the UK shut down.”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... -inflation

I just returned from the USA last week. The price of pork products had surpassed the price of beef.
It was a real shock to see this for the first time ever.
I had to fly thru China to get to Siem Reap and they have quarantine stations and health scans even for transfer passengers.
This is such a serious threat to Asian food supply and will put added pressure on other protein enriched products. The fish and seafood industry is already harvesting too much.
A bird flu could decimate chicken and duck supplies and cause a massive shortage.
I guess I could eat a vegan...with fava beans and a nice Chianti....

This is happening in China (so far), but it may not be long until criminals exploit the African Swine Fever crisis in Cambodia and elsewhere.

Chinese criminal gangs spreading African swine fever to force farmers to sell pigs cheaply so they can profit
Report by state media says some offenders are leaving infected feed in sties and are even using drones to spread contamination
Pork prices have spiked as a result of the disease and gangs can profit by getting around controls to smuggle meat across provincial boundaries
Updated: 11:09pm, 14 Dec, 2019
Chinese criminals have been exploiting the country’s African swine fever crisis by intentionally spreading the disease to force farmers to sell their pigs for a low price before smuggling the meat and selling it on as healthy stock, state media has reported.

Sometimes the gangs spread rumours about the virus, which is fatal to pigs, but in more extreme cases they are using drones to drop infected items into farms, according to an investigation by the magazine China Comment, which is affiliated to state news agency Xinhua,

The disease has reduced the country’s pig herds by over 40 per cent due to mass culls designed to stop it spreading further.

The resulting shortages have seen pork prices more than double, providing opportunities for the criminals to exploit.

The magazine’s report said that the gangs tried to spread panic among farmers to force them to sell their livestock at a discount rate.

Sometimes they spread rumours about the disease spreading in the locality and may even leave dead pigs on the side of a road to make farmers believe the infection is spreading.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politic ... 1576333047

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 4:10 pm This is happening in China (so far), but it may not be long until criminals exploit the African Swine Fever crisis in Cambodia and elsewhere.

Chinese criminal gangs spreading African swine fever to force farmers to sell pigs cheaply so they can profit
Report by state media says some offenders are leaving infected feed in sties and are even using drones to spread contamination
Pork prices have spiked as a result of the disease and gangs can profit by getting around controls to smuggle meat across provincial boundaries
Updated: 11:09pm, 14 Dec, 2019
Chinese criminals have been exploiting the country’s African swine fever crisis by intentionally spreading the disease to force farmers to sell their pigs for a low price before smuggling the meat and selling it on as healthy stock, state media has reported.

Sometimes the gangs spread rumours about the virus, which is fatal to pigs, but in more extreme cases they are using drones to drop infected items into farms, according to an investigation by the magazine China Comment, which is affiliated to state news agency Xinhua,

The disease has reduced the country’s pig herds by over 40 per cent due to mass culls designed to stop it spreading further.

The resulting shortages have seen pork prices more than double, providing opportunities for the criminals to exploit.

The magazine’s report said that the gangs tried to spread panic among farmers to force them to sell their livestock at a discount rate.

Sometimes they spread rumours about the disease spreading in the locality and may even leave dead pigs on the side of a road to make farmers believe the infection is spreading.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politic ... 1576333047

If the Chinese government catch anyone deliberately spreading the virus for a quick buck, they will probably just shoot them on the spot.

[quote=
criminal gangs
using drones to spread contamination
criminals exploiting
intentionally spreading
force farmers
gangs spread rumours
smuggling pigs
even leave dead pigs on the side of a road .
they are using drones to drop infected items into farms,
state media
according to an investigation by the magazine China Comment, which is affiliated to state news agency Xinhua,
state media has reported.
[/quote]

Scoff
sounds like a bit of convenient blame shifting to me

FDA releases new list of ASF-affected countries to warn public
Philippine Information Agency
28 Oct 2020, 21:38 GMT+10

QUEZON CITY, Oct. 28 (PIA)---The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the new list of countries suspected to be affected by African Swine Fever (ASF) virus to warn the public on the purchase and consumption of process pork and meat product from these countries.

The FDA issued advisory No. 2020-1930, consistent to No. 2018-133, 2019-045, 2019-103, and 2020-1283 as the list follows:

1. China 10. South Africa 18. Laos

2. Hungary 11. Bulgaria 19. Germany

3. Latvia 12. Cambodia 20. Indonesia

4. Poland 13. Mongolia 21. Greece

5. Romania 14. Moldova 22. Myanmar

6. Russia 15. Belgium 23. Serbia

7. Ukraine 16. Hongkong 24. Slovakia

8. Vietnam 17. North Korea 25. South Korea

9. Zambia

Meanwhile, FDA advised the public to exercise extreme caution in purchasing and consuming processed pork meat and to only consume FDA registered processed pork meat products which are sourced from countries not listed in the said advisory.

FDA reiterated that it does not allow registration of processed pork meat products from these ASF virus affected countries.

The Agency also heightened its post-marketing surveillance and audit on all concerned and covered establishments to ensure compliance to all forgoing FDA orders and public health and safety, and hold liable those who violates Republic Act 9711 known as Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009 and Republic Act 10611 known as the Food Safety Act of 2013.

For more information and inquiries, consumers may email [email protected] or call the Center for Food Regulation and Research at (020) 857-1900 local 8112/8105 and, to report violations of FDA orders email [email protected].(MBP/PIA-IDPD/FDA)
https://www.thecambodianews.net/news/26 ... arn-public

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Thu Oct 29, 2020 4:06 pmcaution in purchasing and consuming processed pork meat and to only consume FDA registered processed pork meat products which are sourced from countries not listed in the said advisory.

Funny. Do they have any practical advice?

February 11, 2021
African swine fever detected in Banteay Meanchey province
African swine flu has been detected in northern Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province with the Ministry of Agriculture placing strict measures on the control over inter-province transport of live pigs.

The African swine flu was found in pigs imported illegally from Thailand via corridor border gates in Banteay Meanchey province and 30 pigs were seized by expert officials, according to a statement from the ministry’s General Department of Animal Health and Production issued yesterday.

The ministry ordered authorities to cull all pigs in the area as it called on pig raisers to increase safety guideline practices to prevent any outbreak of the African swine flu.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50812988/a ... -province/

New African Swine Fever Outbreak Alert
Cambodia News, Phnom Penh: On May 19, 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that nine provinces of Cambodia bordering Vietnam were showing high risk of a large-scale and severe outbreak of African swine fever. HE Veng Sakhon, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said that African swine fever (ASF) is currently spreading around the world and has spread to Asia, including China and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia as well.

The ASF disease first broke out in Vietnam almost all over the country on February 19, 2019, and on May 4, 2021, it erupted again in Vietnam. It continues to spread rapidly through the provinces bordering Cambodia, including Dak Nong/ Mondulkiri, Yalai/ Ratanakkiri, Dong Thap/ Prey Veng, Kieng Yang/ Kampot, and Tay Ninh/ Tbong Khmum and Svay Rieng provinces, Long An province next to Svay Rieng province, Binh Phu province next to Kratie province and An Yang province next to Takeo and Kandal provinces; and all these provinces who share a border with Vietnam are currently at high risk.

The Minister has therefore requested the administration of the provinces bordering Vietnam to help prevent the import of illegal pigs, and pork products from Vietnam, which could cause the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Fact sheet from Australia re swill. I can’t imagine Cambodia has similar restrictions.






I see too that it stays on clothes and vehicles and easily spreads that way.

ASF is knocking at Australia’s a door - a terrible disease