2.5 million pigs culled in Vietnam due to ASF
The number of pigs culled in the attempt to stop the spread of ASF virus in Vietnam has now reached 2.5 million, according to official reports quoted by Reuters. The disease was first reported in February and by March the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) experts have recommended the authorities to declare the outbreak a national emergency as the disease is seen as a threat to the country's food security. Still, the government opposes to such a measure.
“We won’t declare the outbreak a national emergency yet as the virus is harmless to humans and the outbreak doesn’t pose a threat to national security,” declared Nguyen Van Long, head of epidemiology at Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health.
Pork accounts for three-quarters of total meat consumption in Vietnam, a country of 95 million people where most of its 30 million farm-raised pigs are consumed domestically. Vietnam's pork industry is valued at $4 billion and accounts for nearly 10% of Vietnam’s agricultural sector.
Several countries in Asia are affected by the disease which is harmless to humans but lethal to pigs. China is the worst-hit country in the area, with every province affected by outbreaks.
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