ZCZC
BFF-19
CHINA-ENVIRONMENT
China taps pork reserve as swine fever hits industry
BEIJING, Sept 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – China will auction 10,000 tonnes of
reserve pork this week, the commerce ministry said, in a bid to control the
fallout from an outbreak of African swine fever that has sent prices soaring
and hit supplies of the meat ahead of a key holiday.
Beijing has been struggling to control the disease, which has ripped
through its massive pig-farming industry, leading to the culling of more than
a million of the animals.
In a statement published on its website Tuesday night, a state-owned
company that handles the reserves said it would auction off imported frozen
pork from countries including Denmark, Germany, France, the United States and
Britain.
Only 300 tonnes will be sold to each bidder at the auction.
The decision comes ahead of a week-long national holiday and celebrations
for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on
October 1.
Authorities are scrambling to contain the outbreak of African swine fever
as the costs of the country’s staple meat soar.
The price of pork in China jumped 46.7 percent on-year in August, official
data showed last week — prompting authorities to say they would dip into
strategic meat reserves.
The number of pigs culled as a result of the outbreak is widely believed to
be much higher than the 1.1 million officially reported, with government data
showing China’s pig herd totalled 347.6 million in the first half of the
year, down 60 million from the same period last year.
Last week Beijing also said it would exempt high-profile US agricultural
products including pork from added tariffs in its long-running trade war with
Washington.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1156 hrs