Feed industry examines African swine fever connection, risks

Ongoing research aims to identify if feed is an ASF vector

China has released its technical specifications for the prevention and control of African swine fever. | David Andersson, Freeimages.com
China has released its technical specifications for the prevention and control of African swine fever. | David Andersson, Freeimages.com

African swine fever (ASF), a highly contagious and deadly porcine virus, has rapidly spread throughout all of China, parts of Southeast Asia and several European countries – devastating herds and impacting global pork markets and trade.

“ASF has spread to every province in mainland China and is now affecting an estimated 150 to 200 million pigs, and the expected 30 percent loss in pork production is unprecedented,” says Christine McCracken, RaboResearch senior analyst – animal protein, noting that these losses cannot easily be replaced by other proteins nor will imports be able to fully offset the deficit.

Given the historic scale of Chinese production and consumption, some market analysts suspect ASF could “change the face of animal ag and the protein accretion industry for the rest of our lives.”

The following ASF slideshow is a collection of the best biosecurity practices and guidelines from feed industry stakeholders for ensuing feed safety in the face of this deadly pig disease.

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