News African swine fever
Who is losing control of swine fever?
Romania's largest pig farm has been hit by African Swine Fever (ASF). The company with more than 140.000 animals is the latest in a series of infections. China is also under the spell of animal disease, but which region is now beginning to lose grip on the virus?
The authorities in Romania suspect that the country's largest pig farm came into contact with the animal disease via the waters of the Danube. This was possible because the so-called 'backyard farms' (or backyard companies) dumped the infected animals into the water. However, whether it actually went this way has yet to be confirmed.
Lost grip?
It's the umpteenth contamination of AVP in a row, making people wonder whether the government still has a grip on the virus. It is a question that is even more important if it actually turns out that the contamination has taken place via the water of the Danube.
The animal disease also surfaced last month in 4 Chinese provinces. This could have major consequences for a country where pork is often on the menu. However, it is also a good sign. So says Feng Yonghui, chief analyst at Soozhu (medium for the pig industry). "The relatively quick and detailed reporting of the outbreaks showed no signs of panic, but rather signs of reassurance."
In all, about 25.000 pigs have been killed in an effort to contain the virus. However, compared to the total of 380 milion pigs, it is only a relatively small number. However, there is still 1 question that remains unanswered: what is the source of the virus?
No reason for eclipse
Yet Yonghui is optimistic. "The pig farmers have no reason to hide a potentially infected pig. They can even receive an amount of $117,50 for each infected pig." The analyst does indicate that it is impossible to check all 380 million animals, unless everyone wants to actively participate in this. Despite the 4 infections, pig prices in China have remained fairly stable.
However, in Romania infections are still increasing. This is partly due to the polluted water of the Danube, but also to the large population of wild boars (combined with many extremely small farms). Unlike in China it is the grip on the situation in Romania is less important, as shown by the recent infections. Dumping the carcasses into the Danube may exacerbate the problem.
Herman van den Pol
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