African swine fever is affecting pig farmers globally, raising sows, hogs, gilts, boars and piglets, and ultimately impacting the world’s supply of pork. Largely affecting Asia, and specifically China, the disease has now spread through countries including Cambodia, Romania, South Africa and Vietnam, as well as into the wild boar populations of some other European countries.
In China, as of the most current reports since the first ASF outbreaks were reported in August 2018, the country has culled more than 1.02 million pigs, with March 2019 sow numbers down 21% from the same month in 2018.
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As this pig disease has spread throughout the Asian continent, other countries around the world are taking precaution, including the United States. The U.S. National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) canceled its 2019 World Pork Expo (WPX), which was to be held in Des Moines, Iowa, and host nearly 20,000 visitors during the three-day event.
“While an evaluation by veterinarians and other third-party experts concluded negligible risk associated with holding the event, we have decided to exercise extreme caution,” said David Herring, NPPC president and a producer from Lillington, North Carolina. “The health of the U.S. swine herd is paramount; the livelihoods of our producers depend on it. Prevention is our only defense against ASF and NPPC will continue to do all it can to prevent its spread to the United States.”
“Our farmers are highly export dependent,” Herring said. “An ASF outbreak would immediately close our export markets at a time when we are already facing serious trade headwinds. The retaliatory tariffs we currently face in some of our largest export markets due to trade disputes are among the factors that prompted a conservative decision regarding World Pork Expo. U.S. pork producers are already operating in very challenging financial conditions.
“The widespread presence of African swine fever in China’s swine herd, the world’s largest by far, takes the threat of this swine disease to an entirely new level. We ask all producers, travelers and the general public to recognize the heightened risk since the first outbreak was reported in China last year and to heed biosecurity protocols in support of U.S. agriculture.”
View our continuing coverage of the African swine fever outbreak.
