African swine fever in China again

A second outbreak of African swine fever has been reported in China. This time, the animal disease was found in a slaughter location at a subsidiary of WH Group, the largest meat concern in the world.

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture said that about 16 pigs died of African swine fever on Thursday, August 30. The affected slaughter site is located in Zhengzhou City (Henan Province). This location is located in the middle of China, and is therefore far from the place where at the beginning of the month an outbreak was reported.

The slaughterhouse has been closed and operations have ceased. It is still unclear how the pigs became infected with the animal disease. The situation is complex, as the infected pigs have traveled thousands of miles across the country. The animals come from a production location in the north of the country (from the Heilongjiang province).

Stock price down
The outbreak is bad news for the WH Group share price. The stock closed 16% lower at 7,5 Hong Kong dollar on August 6,08. The stock is already plagued by tensions that the trade war entails. The price was still above 9 Hong Kong dollars last March.

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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