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For the second time in three weeks (see May 11th's Hong Kong Culls 6,000 Pigs After 1st Detection Of ASF At Local Slaughterhouse), Hong Kong is reporting the detection of the African Swine Fever virus at a local slaughterhouse and has begun culling 4,700 pigs.
While Hong Kong's SAR is home to 43 pig farms and roughly 50,000 pigs (cite SCMP), it imports 3,500 to 4,000 pigs a day from the mainland China to meet the needs of its 7 million residents.The infected pig (or pigs) presumably came from Guangdong Province, which supplies much of Hong Kong's (and Macao's) food supply. China's MOA last reported an outbreak in Guangdong province more than 5 months ago, and removed all movement restrictions in February.
Mainland China, which reported its first outbreak of ASF last September, steadfastly maintains they have their ASF outbreak under control, and admit to only 136 outbreaks and the loss of just over 1.1 million pigs (cite FAO).
Estimates of losses from outside experts, however, put China's losses more than 100 times higher (see African Swine Fever In China: Epizootic or An EpicZootic?) and we see media reports almost daily of massive unreported culling of pigs (see China struggles to contain African swine fever, resorts to mass live-pig burials, millions of culls).We have a transcript of remarks made overnight by Hong Kong's Secretary of Food and Health (SFH), on this most recent event.
Transcript of remarks by SFH at media session
Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, regarding an African Swine Fever laboratory test result at the Central Government Offices yesterday evening (May 31):
Reporter: Professor Chan, can you talk about the number of pigs to be culled at the slaughterhouse? Last time, all the pigs were culled and generate strong opposition. This time, you are going to cull all the pigs again. So have you reach a consensus with the traders? Have you come up with other contingency measures in response to other future incidents? For example, are you going to inspect all the pigs waiting to be culled at the slaughterhouse?
Secretary for Food and Health: This time, we will be culling about 4700 pigs. Actually, since the last incident of African Swine Fever (SWF), we have enhanced our surveillance at the boundary. For example, at the Man Kam To Checkpoint, we actually check all the pigs before coming in. Also, when pig trucks arriving at the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse, our veterinarians will check all the pigs before they go into the slaughterhouse. As you may all know, ASF has an incubation period of four to 19 days, so there is a possibility that some of the symptoms may not have exhibited even upon checking.
Reporter: Have you reached a consensus with the traders?
Secretary for Food and Health: As I have said earlier, the culling of pigs after we have found a positive sample of SWF is an international practice. We have tried, even last time, to explain to the traders that it is the measure to protect everybody, and that it is an international practice. It is not a matter of consensus. It is a matter of following international practice. It is to protect the public and ensure that we should have the supply of pork as soon as possible and that the disease does not transmit to the local community.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Saturday, June 1, 2019
Since the first of the year we've seen African Swine Fever extend its range into Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and most recently North Korea. And while not reported in local pigs yet, it has been knocking on the door of Japan, Taiwan and South Korea (see ASF: Taiwan Plays Hardball Over Undeclared Pork Products) for months.
While ASF doesn't pose a direct threat to human health, it is devastating to pork producers, and its continued spread in China and across Asia could compromise already fragile economies, and food security, in many regions.
ASF has never been reported in North America, but the longer and farther the virus spreads in Asia and Eastern Europe, the greater the potential for it to spread into this hemisphere.Two weeks ago the USDA has announced enhanced testing and surveillance for ASF in American pigs, in hopes of detecting - and stamping out - any infections as early as possible (see USDA Enhances Domestic ASF Surveillance Efforts).
Meanwhile, ASF marches on.
