AVP strikes a company in Hong Kong

The affected pig farm is located in Wong Nai Tun, which is located in Yuen Long, an area in the northwest of Hong Kong. The company has a total of approximately 3.200 pigs, but the pigs are kept in different stables. Initially, 6 pigs, all kept in the same barn, tested positive. These have been cleared.

Transport restriction
2 days later, pigs in another barn on the same farm also tested positive for the virus. The 590 pigs in that stable also had to be culled. As a precaution, 3 other companies within a radius of 3 kilometers have also been checked. No AVP has yet been detected there. The transport of pigs in the nearby area has been stopped.

It is not the first time that the region has been affected by ASF. The virus also struck in May 2019. At the time, the disease appeared at a slaughterhouse and 6.000 pigs were culled as a precaution.

Domestic production
Currently, Hong Kong's domestic pork production relies on just over 40 pig farms. They produce approximately 15% of the available pork. The remaining pork is imported. Live pigs are also imported into the country to meet the pork demand.

pork import
Throughout 2020, Hong Kong imported approximately 230.000 tons of fresh and frozen pork. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 14,3%. The largest supplier was Brazil. Germany has also increased pork exports to Hong Kong and the export volume even tripled from 4.000 tons in 2019 to 13.160 tons in 2020. This made Germany the fifth most important foreign supplier last year.

Ears and paws
For Germany, Hong Kong is one of the few destinations where pork can still be exported after the African swine fever outbreak in the country. This is especially beneficial for the by-products, such as ears and paws. There is only limited sales for this domestically. Last year, the export of by-products even achieved a growth of 53,6% and a total of 69.720 tons were exported. This made Germany the main supplier to Hong Kong in the by-product segment.

Russian pork
Germany is not the only country that is allowed to export pork to Hong Kong despite the ASF in the country. In Russia, domestic pork production has grown to such an extent that it has changed from an importer to an exporter. However, due to the AVP in the country, export destinations are limited. Hong Kong is one of the few destinations where Russian pork can be found. The export in 2020 has grown considerably compared to 2019. While only 2019 tons were exported in 300, the export in 2020 was approximately 4.520 tons.