China wants to restore pig herd in 3 years

China's Ministry of Agriculture introduced a 3-year plan this week that aims to encourage a rapid recovery in pig production. Actions are now being taken in the Philippines and Vietnam against the relocation of pigs and pork.

The authorities in China want to stimulate a rapid recovery of pig (meat) production by means of a 3-year plan. The plan states, among other things, that it will be easier to acquire land for pig farming and that the government will issue subsidies to pig farmers. The Chinese government will also set up 3 'model farms' over the next 120 years, with techniques that can be easily replicated across the country.

The government's 3-year plan also makes a regional division of the country. Hunan, Hubei and Guangxi provinces are highlighted as the most important pig regions. Those 3 provinces have to supply the other parts of the country with pork. The southeastern regions (including Jiangsu, Guangdong, Beijing and Shanghai) are expected to achieve a self-sufficiency rate of around 70%, while the southwestern and northwestern regions are close to 100%.

Finally, the Chinese government in the meantime the first slaughterhouses also closed in an effort to stop the spread of African swine fever. According to Reuters, these slaughterhouses have broken the rules by slaughtering infected pigs and trading carcasses. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture writes that smaller slaughterhouses are relatively often equipped with outdated technologies.

Smuggling pigs
The government in Vietnam is urging local authorities in the south of the country to curb the smuggling of pigs. It is reported that many pigs are currently being brought in from Northern Thailand and Cambodia, as farmers there sell the pigs for fear of African swine fever. Besides the fact that the animals can be infected, it puts the price of pork in Vietnam under pressure. Prices have risen sharply in the past 3 weeks (to converted € 2,88 per kilo), as a result of a large shortage of pork.

In the Philippines, too, extra attention is being paid to the movement of live pigs and pork. The government therefore wants to regulate the transport of. The new plan divides the Philippines into several zones. The regions are roughly divided into a 'free zone' and a 'polluted zone'. The contaminated zone is then divided into 4 sub-zones: protected zone, surveillance zone, buffer zone and infected zone. The regulation of transport is determined on the basis of that specific zone.

Indonesia does not confirm
In mid-November, Reuters announced that various sources within the Indonesian government confirm that an outbreak of the African swine fever has been found. To date, however, there has been no official response from the government. This leads to disapproving reactions in the pig sector. "The research agency has already reported that genetic material of the animal disease has been found in some samples. Are they waiting for the virus to spread to Java?"

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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