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By Dominique Patton
BEIJING (Reuters) – The WH group, China's biggest pork processor, said on Thursday it was trying to verify a statement by the Taiwanese government that the African swine fever virus was found in a manufactured sausage by a subsidiary allegedly brought to the island by a traveler.
The findings in Taiwan suggest that pigs carrying the disease are still being slaughtered and processed in China. South Korea and Japan also reported finding processed meat products imported from China containing the disease.
China has reported nearly 50 outbreaks of this highly contagious disease in 13 provinces since early August.
The subsidiary, Henan Shuanghui Investment and Development, has not recovered the disease in any of its products sold in mainland China, said a WH spokeswoman.
The WH group reported finding pigs with the disease in one of its slaughterhouses in August, forcing them to shut down the plant for six weeks.
The Taiwan Agriculture Council announced Wednesday on its website that it had discovered the gene for African swine fever in a product called "Shuanghui Crispy Sausage".
The sausage was one of 306 meat products smuggled into the Autonomous Island between late August and October 30, he said.
The gene was 100% similar to the African swine fever strain circulating in China, said the council.
He added that the authorities would severely punish tourists who illegally transport meat to Taiwan.
"This is not good because it indicates that the African swine fever virus is entering the human food chain and raises the question of whether China is under control," said an animal health expert for a large agribusiness company in China. the sensitive nature of the subject.
Earlier this week, the Taiwan Bureau of Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Inspection and Quarantine said that the Customs Administration is jointly intensifying the search of travelers' luggage at airports and seaports, according to a report published by the NAC official press.
Shares of Shuanghui lost up to 6% Thursday, due to concerns about the impact of African swine fever on its business.
(Report by Dominique Patton, edited by Christian Schmollinger)
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