Deadly Virus Has Slashed China’s Pig Herd by Half, Rabobank Says
- China’s swine herd has shrunk to 200 million head in past year
- African swine fever has wiped out 25% of China’s pork output
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China’s pig herd has halved to 200 million head over the past year because of a deadly swine disease that may depress pork supplies for years, a Rabobank analyst said.
The emergence of African swine fever in China in August 2018, and the subsequent deaths and culling of pigs, have wiped out 25% the country’s pork production, or about 13 million metric tons, which is “unprecedented,” said Pan Chenjun, Rabobank’s Hong Kong-based senior animal proteins analyst, in an emailed statement Friday.