Brighter picture painted for pig farmers

Cong Peiyuan, vice-president of Dabeinong Agricultural and Food Co in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, said a pig farm owned by the company in Beizhen, Liaoning province, was hit by African swine fever in October last year, causing a loss of more than 100 million yuan. In early December last year, local agricultural authorities lifted quarantine measures imposed on the farm.

The company then started preparing to resume pork production, including installing a number of disease control and prevention facilities, such as a personnel quarantine site, a material transfer station, a sterilization center and a single-direction showering system.

Management of personnel and flow of materials has also been improved. For example, anyone entering the farm must complete a 20-minute sterilization-and-showering process, and may only carry small devices, such as mobile phones, to minimize the risks of infecting the pigs.

Cong said the company has also produced a manual on the control and prevention of African swine fever, and distributed it to all employees.

Zhu Zengyong, a pork industry analyst at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that although many pig breeders are preparing to replenish their stocks, some of them, especially small operators, are finding this difficult.

"Most farms raising pigs in China are small or medium-sized, and such farmers often have difficulty in affording to upgrade their facilities to restore production," he said.

"In addition, pig prices, including those for piglets and sows, have doubled due to the supply shortage, compared with before the African swine fever outbreak last year, which can also restrict efforts to replenish stocks."

He added that with pig stocks nationwide rising, the chances of further outbreaks of the disease will increase, so strict control and preventative measures are necessary.

With the heavy losses caused by the disease, insiders have proposed that the pig breeding industry be upgraded, including improving disease control and prevention facilities and sanitary conditions, to better prepare against future outbreaks.

Qiu Huaji, a researcher of infectious animal diseases at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, said the African swine fever outbreak shows the importance of improving biosecurity at farms, rather than just relying on drugs and vaccines for prevention and control, as many pig breeders in China do. No vaccine is available to prevent the disease.

"Biosecurity systems should be established at all farms where pigs are raised, whether large or small, to prevent and control disease," he said. "Meanwhile, pig breeders should improve conditions for the animals so that they live in a healthier and more comfortable environment, which will also help disease control and prevention."