China bans feeding pigs in provinces with African swine fever

BEIJING (Reuters) – The Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday that China has banned the use of food waste in provinces with outbreaks of African swine fever and neighboring regions. .

The use of pork blood as raw material in the production of food for pigs has also been banned, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in an online statement.

The ministry will also require producers of swine feeds to submit samples for testing, and any testing for feed be positive for the virus to be removed from the market and destroyed.

African swine fever is a highly contagious disease that can not be cured and contains no vaccine. It can also be transmitted in pork products, animal feed or by people.

(For the graph on swine fever in China, click on tmsnrt.rs/2PDt6Ud)

China has reported 13 outbreaks of the disease in six provinces since early August, mainly in small farms. It has banned the transport of live animals from infected provinces and neighboring regions to contain the spread, stop trade throughout the country and boost prices in some areas.

It has also closed live markets in 16 provinces, which will hurt hog farmers a lot.

The ban on using kitchen waste for pork farmers would also hurt small farmers, who often use leftovers to cut costs, especially when pork prices are low.

By law, food waste must be heat-treated to kill any bacteria or disease that can infect pigs, but this process is often ignored to reduce costs.

The ministry said farmers must ensure that all food waste used for pigs in provinces not affected by the disease is heated before it is used.