African swine fever hits Vietnam again

The pig population in Vietnam seems to have been hit again by a wave of African swine fever infections. Although the situation seemed calmer for a while, the authorities now expect the number of pigs culled to be three times higher this year than last year.

The Vietnamese government speaks of a 'complicated development around the virus' and 'the risk of large-scale spread'. The virus is currently present in at least 57 of the 63 provinces. African swine fever was first diagnosed in Vietnam two years ago, in February. It led to a 20% decrease in the pig population and doubled pork prices.

Vietnam is a major importer
Vietnam is a major importer of European pork. Over the first nine months of this year, the country increased imports by 33%. The volume of imports in the period January to September amounted to 110.000 tons, which is 27.000 tons more than in the same period last year. The current new problems surrounding African swine fever may further increase the need for imports.

Steve Wissink

Stef Wissink is an editor at Boerenbusiness and writes about current market developments in the dairy and pig market. He also follows Dutch and international agribusiness.

s.wissink@boerenbusiness. Nl

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