"It is nearly impossible to get an honest story out of China"
Stories about African Swine Fever (ASF) virus spreading through China are now delivered on a daily basis and no one can get a clear picture of the situation that affects the world's largest pig producer.
"Last Sunday a Chinese feed company announced that they found African Swine Fever in some feed samples. Their stock fell 6%. Miraculously the next day it was announced that their test was wrong. I bet heads rolled on that one….literally. It is nearly impossible to get an honest story out of China.
Never listen to what China says, but rather watch what they do. To get a real handle on how African Swine Fever is affecting China’s Pork Industry we need to watch their imports. I am surmising that the Chinese Government is not releasing information about all the cases of AFS. I also suspect that many cases are not getting reported at all to the Chinese government", says Allan Bentley, Sales representative of Canadian genetics company Genesus.
In his opinion, China will start to import pork at a fast pace in the near future as the situation is getting more confusing. "It may not come from the US but it will come from somewhere", he added.
That moment may not be that far if it is to consider the comments made by his colleague Lyle Jones, Director of Sales, China. "China’s efforts to stem the spread of African swine fever were dealt yet another blow when the agricultural ministry confirmed the first case in a wild boar found dead in northeastern China’s Jilin province, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
To combat the disease, movement of pigs within affected areas (see map) is restricted causing markets disruptions and volatility in pork prices from one province to another. However, the overall average price of pork in China remains relatively stable at 13.92 CNY/KG or $0.91 per pound.
Adding to these concerns, major Chinese animal feed maker, Tangrenshen Group, reported on November 1st., that feed produced in one of their units had been contaminated with African Swine Fever.
This is the first reported case of contamination of feed supplies in China increasing the concerns for pig farmers trying to avoid the disease. It also raises the economic pressure on a Pork Industry already struggling to stem the rapid spread of African Swine Fever, which has now reached most of the country's pig-farming regions", said Lyle Jones. China is the world's largest pig producer with more than 500 million pigs a year.
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