Industrial Hog Complexes in China Aren’t Bullet-Proof to Disease
Reports of new African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in China are on the rise, in addition to other diseases. Pro Farmer reported on Friday that these diseases are sweeping through the new industrial hog super complexes that have replaced smaller family operations throughout China.
“These facilities were once thought to be bullet-proof, disease protection wise. But this ‘solution’ has now become the problem,” Global Agri-Trends told Pro Farmer. “These large complexes each house an enormous number of animals and have concentrated the disease spread problem. As a result, the disease has swept right through these large complexes.”
The end result of this influx of disease is lower carcass weights and smaller litters. Chinese hog production and the Chinese sow herd are being challenged even more than analysts predicted.
Although USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) post in Beijing reported China pork production rising 14% in 2021, this follows record low rates in 2020. The report said pork production in China will remain below pre-ASF levels, which will keep domestic prices relatively strong.
"China's hog herd recovery in 2021 will be bolstered by larger sow inventories and high pork prices. However, animal disease outbreaks will moderate pork production. Domestic pork prices will encourage both swine operation expansion and strong imports,” USDA said in the report.
“If the warnings from Global Agri-Trends are close to reality,” Pro Farmer says, “China’s rebound in pork production will take longer than anticipated and it’s pork imports this year will be stronger than currently expected.”
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More from Farm Journal's PORK:
African Swine Fever Outbreaks in China Shows ASF Isn’t Under Control
China to Crack Down Harder on Fake African Swine Fever Vaccines
China Confirms African Swine Fever Outbreaks in Sichuan, Hubei Provinces
