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| March 1st Press Conference By China's MPS |
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Despite its rapid spread across most of China since it emerged in August of last year - and growing reports of ASF contaminated Chinese food products being detected by customs officials in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea - fewer than 120 ASF outbreaks have been officially reported by China's MOA (cite USDA).
At the same time, unofficial sources (often Chinese social media and dissident press outlets) have reported a steady barrage of allegations of coverups, midnight dumping of dead pigs, and the movement and suspected sale of infected pigs to slaughterhouses.Given the politics involved, not all of these reports are likely credible, and there are a number of other serious pig diseases - including FMD, PED & PRRS - that could produce significant pig mortality.
But despite these caveats, many of these reports had a ring of truth about them, and yesterday we got some partial confirmation from a very official source.China's Ministry of Public Security (China's principal police and security agency) held a live press conference (March 1st) where they not only announced a renewed crackdown on ASF related criminal activity, they announced nearly 1000 arrests have been made in recent months, and presented 10 recent examples of ASF related crimes.
(Translated excerpts)
Public security organs crack down on crimes related to African swine fever
The Ministry of Public Security announced 10 typical cases
Time: March 01, 2019
On March 1, the Ministry of Public Security held a press conference in Beijing to inform the recent public security organs of cracking down on the effectiveness of crimes related to African swine fever, and published 10 typical cases. Guo Lin, spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security, presided over the press conference. Li Jingsheng, director of the Public Security Administration, and Zhang Zuoliang, deputy director, attended the conference and answered questions from media reporters.
Since the outbreak of the African swine fever in August last year, the Party Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance to it and have held several meetings to study and deploy the epidemic prevention and control work. In order to conscientiously implement the spirit of the important instructions of the leading comrades of the central government, in accordance with the unified arrangements of the State Council, the Ministry of Public Security has fully played its functional role, organized and coordinated the centralized police force of various public security organs, attacked and cracked fast, and quickly cracked down on relevant crimes and actively cooperated.
Relevant departments and units will do a good job in prevention, control and disposal. Up to now, local public security organs have investigated 32 criminal cases involving African swine fever, arrested 90 suspects, found more than 15,000 pigs involved in the case, and more than 140 tons of pork and pork products.
They have cracked down on various diseases such as dead pigs. More than 500 cases of livestock and poultry crimes have been arrested, and more than 960 criminal suspects have been arrested, which has effectively promoted the smooth development of various prevention and control work and effectively safeguarded the vital interests of the people.
(SNIP)
Typical Case
1. Hunan Changde Liu Moumou and other cases of animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine. In October 2018, the Changde City Public Security Bureau of Hunan Province cracked a case against animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine, and arrested 4 suspects. After investigation, in September 2018, the criminal suspects Liu Moumou and Cai Mou, while realizing that the pigs in the company's breeding base might suffer from African swine fever, still reported and accelerated the transfer of some pigs in an attempt to reduce the company's losses. According to the investigation, from September 1 to October 24, 2018, the two farms transferred a total of more than 13,000 pigs. The relevant pigs have been fully identified and disposed of properly.
2, Sichuan Panzhihua Liu Moumou nuisance animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine case. In October 2018, the Public Security Bureau of Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province, cracked a case against animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine, arrested 6 suspects and seized 32 pigs on the spot. After investigation, in mid-October 2018, the criminal suspect Liu Moumou bought 32 pigs in Yongsheng County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province (African swine fever epidemic province), and handed the animal quarantine commissioned by a suspect in Songzhihua City. The point of inspection of the forged animal quarantine certificate handled by the inspector Zhang Moumou, the truck was intercepted by the public security organs and the animal husbandry department law enforcement officers after the pigs were trafficked to Panzhihua City.
3, Liaoning Fushun Han Moumou nuisance animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine case. In December 2018, according to the transfer of clues from the supervision team of the African piglet prevention and control work in Fushun City, the Food and Drug Administration of the Public Security Bureau of Fushun City, Liaoning Province, cracked a case against animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine, and arrested 2 suspects. After investigation, the criminal suspect Han Mou and his brothers sold the foreign pigs purchased from others, scanned and copied the valid animal quarantine certificate obtained from the Fushun Jinhui Slaughterhouse, and handed it to the buyer along with the pigs. . The two made a total of 48 fake animal quarantine certificates.
4, Shanghai Jinshan Tan Moumou is a nuisance to animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine. In November 2018, the Jinshan Branch of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau cracked a case against animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine, arrested one suspect and seized 314 pigs. It has been investigated that since September 2018, the suspect Tan Moumou has been a breeder of a live pig farm in the Fulian Cooperative of the Langxia Township of Jinshan District, and has repeatedly recommended that he can not eat kitchen waste (drinking water) for feeding pigs. The kitchen waste was collected from Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, and the feed and the drowning water were mixed according to a certain ratio and then fed to the pigs. Tested by the Municipal and District Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, the dead pigs in the farm are all positive for African piglet nucleic acid. After the incident, the agricultural administrative department organized the culling of the pigs in the farm and surrounding epidemic areas.
5, Inner Mongolia Qiu and other cases of phytosanitary epidemic prevention and quarantine. In September 2018, the public security organs of Hohhot City, Tongliao City and Wulanchabu City of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region successively cracked three cases of quarantine of animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine, and arrested 10 suspects. After investigation, in September 2018, the suspect Qiu Mou entrusted the murder of the Animal Health Supervision Institute of the Naiman Banner Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau of Tongliao City, Yang Moumou, in the absence of actual inspection and quarantine. Zhang Sheng pig animal quarantine certificate. Qiu will use the certificate to transport 407 pigs from the pig farms in Changtu County, Tieling City, Liaoning Province (African swine fever epidemic province) to the Hohhot Ruitianlong slaughter plant.
6, Sichuan, Chengdu, Fang Moumou and other nuisances against animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine. In November 2018, the Chengdu Public Security Bureau of Sichuan Province cracked a case against animal and plant epidemic prevention and quarantine, and arrested 6 suspects. After investigation, since September 2018, the criminal suspect Fang Moumou and other people know that Liaoning Province is classified as an African swine plague province, and still use the means of mixing and loading goods to issue inspection and quarantine certificates that are inconsistent with the actual goods. In the name of Zhixi Food Business Department, 68.5 tons of live pig products were purchased from Liaoning Qianxihe Food Co., Ltd. and Liaoning Kaiyuan Qianxi Food Co., Ltd. for sale. According to the Sichuan Provincial Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, 6 batches of products were positive for the detection of African swine fever virus nucleic acid.
7, Guangxi Yulin He Moumou and other cases of trafficking in sick and dead pigs. In November 2018, according to the clues reported by the masses, the Yulin City Public Security Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region cracked a case of selling sick and dead pigs, arrested 3 suspects, and seized 5 dead pigs on the spot. After investigation, since January 2018, the criminal suspect has used the identity of the employee of the township harmless treatment station, and notified the suspect He Moumou to raise pigs when the sick pigs in the area are in need of harmless treatment. The field will take the sick and dead pigs away and charge him an introduction fee of 30-50 yuan per head. The suspect He Moumou sold the sick pig to the criminal suspect Liu at a price of 1.2 yuan per kilogram. Liu will slaughter the sick pigs he bought and sell it to the market.
8, Guangdong Jieyang Lin, a certain case of the sale of sick and dead pork. In August 2018, the Public Security Bureau of Jieyang City, Guangdong Province, cracked a case of manufacturing and selling sick and dead pork, arrested 9 suspects, slaughtered 2 slaughtering and processing dens, and seized 4 dead pigs and a large number of sick and processed pork. After investigation, since March 2016, criminal suspects Lin Moumou and others have illegally made profits, purchased a large number of sick and dead pigs, and sold them to Chen Chao, Guangdong Chaozhou, etc., and processed them into sausages and other foods, which were sold to Guangdong and Hubei. In other provinces, the amount involved was more than 900 million yuan.
9. Zhejiang Rui'an Li Moumou and other production and sales do not meet the safety standard food case. In January 2019, the public security organs of Ruian City cracked a food case infected with the "African swine fever" virus, arrested 4 suspects and collected 6.5 tons of live pig products. According to the Wenzhou Municipal Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, some chilled pork “African swine fever” virus was positive. After investigation, in January 2019, the criminal suspect Li Moumou contacted the Hebei-based farmer Wang Moumou, entrusted with the relevant procedures for slaughtering pigs and slaughtering companies for slaughtering, etc. Wang Moumou colluded with Hebei Quzhou Animal Inspection and Quarantine Station. The staff member Li Moumou opened the animal inspection and quarantine certificate and slaughtered part of the pigs from a food company in Hebei. The products were mainly sold to the Zhejiang Ruian Vegetable Wholesale Market, involving more than 2 million yuan.
10, Fujian Ningde Lin, a certain private slaughter case. In October 2018, the Ningde City Public Security Bureau cracked a private slaughter case, arrested 7 criminal suspects, and took off 1 illegal pig slaughtering den, and seized more than 20 live pigs on the spot. It has been investigated that since September 2017, the criminal suspects Lin Moumou and others have set up pig slaughtering dens in Liwan Town without the relevant materials such as pig slaughtering certificates, and engaged in slaughtering and sales of pigs. The amount involved was more than 6.5 million yuan.
(Continue . . . .)
While the level of ASF contamination across China is impossible to quantify, reports like these strongly suggest the virus is more widespread than the MOA outbreaks would suggest.
