Chinese Official Says African Swine Fever Under Control

(BEIJING, CHINA) Speaking at an international symposium in Beijing, Han Changfu, minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said that China’s African swine fever conditions are now “under effective control” and growth of new cases is gradually slowing down. Despite the news, China still appears ready to import four million tons of the protein in 2019 according to the official Chinese news agency. Analysts watching the lean hog markets in the United States are paying close attention to reports of export sales to China with some noting a 40 percent reduction in the Chinese herd compared to one year ago. The most recent numbers from the United Nations Food and Ag Organization (FAO) report losses in China well in excess of a million head, while losses continue to grow in Vietnam, Mongolia and Cambodia.