100 million pigs disappeared What's in China now ... Oct 9 14:33

The impact is spreading in China, the world's largest pig farming nation.
Over the past year, more than 100 million pigs are said to have declined, and the price of pork, a national food that is indispensable for dining tables, has soared.
The cause is "African pig cholera" which is blazing. The “pig cholera” spread in Japan is a completely different disease of pigs. It is more infectious than “Pig Cholera” and its fatality rate is almost 100%. Because there is no vaccine, we are unable to prevent the spread of infection.
What is happening in China? I interviewed the site.
(General Reporter of China, Akihito Yanagihara)

Unstoppable pig mass death

"Those who abandon a sick pig will be determined."
When I visited Yulin in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where the pig farming industry is prosperous, I saw warning signs from various authorities.

It is said that there is no end to the case where a pig farmer leaves a large number of pigs dying on the street.

When I visited a pig farmer locally, Mr. Lee Shinning, who has raised pigs for many years, responded to the interview.

At Lee's farm, about 500 pigs have died one after another in May. A number of pigs died in the surrounding farms one after another, and infection with African swine fever was suspected, but the local government said it did not recognize the infection.
The Chinese government provides compensation for each animal on the premise that it will be killed if it is recognized as infected with African swine fever.
However, as the infection spread explosively, Mr. Lee believes that the local government, which has no financial budget, refused to be certified.

If it is an infection with African swine fever, the principle is that the local government should disinfect the pig house and dispose of it properly.
However, Lee said that he had to carry a sick pig on his own truck and dug a hole in the back mountain.

I can't continue pig farming anymore

Now, Lee quits pig farming and raises chickens and geese in an empty pig house. Considering the risk of infection with African swine fever and the response of the local government, we believe that we cannot continue pig farming even if our income decreases.
In this region, it is said that there are many farmers who give up pig farming and raise chickens in the pig house. Mr. Lee tweeted at the end of the interview.

“The farmers around the area also quit pig farming.

Are there over 100 million pigs that disappeared?

African pig cholera was first confirmed in China last August and then expanded throughout the country.
Just one year later, in a sample survey by the Chinese government in August, the number of pigs reared decreased 38.7% year-on-year.

The number of pigs bred in China is over 428 million at the end of last year.
More than 100 million pigs are believed to have declined.

As a result, the price of pork soared and hit the public table.
However, the pork retail price in August rose nearly 1.5 times compared to the same period last year.
Depending on the region, there are places that have jumped more than three times, and there is a scream among citizens that it is too expensive to eat pork.
In addition, the prices of chicken and beef that can be eaten in place of pigs have risen across the board, and it has been pointed out that African pig cholera is causing high prices.

習近 is chased by the measures flat leadership

In China, pork is indispensable for the lives of the common people, as there is a saying that if pig farming is thriving and food is rich, the world will be stable.
In September, as the influence of citizens spread, senior Chinese officials expressed a sense of crisis that "stable production of pigs is important for maintaining the stability of the Chinese economy and society."
We launched a support plan for pig farmers and released 30,000 tons of frozen pork stocked by the government before the 70th anniversary of the founding of the country on October 1. This remains, if you follow the rise in pork prices, when the brunt of the criticism could orientation to Xi Jinping leadership, are you rushing to measures such as the price of suppression.

Dispose of all hairy animals! ?

The Chinese government has been strengthening its control over local governments in order to stop the spread of African swine fever cholera.
In response to this, in some areas, not only pigs that die of illness, but also domestic dogs, cats, chickens, etc. have been disposed of to dispose of viruses.

In the rural area of ​​Sichuan we visited, the local authorities notified pig farmers that they would “dispose of all hairy animals” in response to the outbreak of African swine fever.
The farmer who responded to the interview was dissatisfied that the dogs that had been kept for six years were disposed of, and the neighboring farms were treated in the same way.
There are many criticisms on the Internet saying that it is not a reasonable response and it is too extreme.

Crisis creeping into Japan

African swine fever is now spreading to Asian countries as well as China. Already, infection has been confirmed in 11 countries and regions in Asia, including Vietnam, Myanmar, North Korea and South Korea.

Infecting pigs by eating virus-contaminated food, the virus is said to spread through the shoes and clothes of travelers.

In Japan, the gene of African porcine cholera has been detected one after another from processed pork products already brought from China and other countries, and the quarantine system has been strengthened.

However, there is a growing sense of crisis among experts that it is not strange to invade Japan at any time through travelers.

“There will be a lot of tourists coming to the Olympics next year, so it is difficult to prevent 100% even at the coastal quarantine. If the infection spreads in Japan, it will be a double punch in the swine cholera epidemic. May be catastrophic. "

How to prevent African pig cholera

African swine cholera is more infectious than “pig cholera”, which has already been infected in Japan, and unlike “pig cholera”, there is no effective vaccine to prevent the spread of infection.
It does not infect humans, but the fatality rate when infected with pigs is almost 100%. Experts point out that it is crucial to stop at the water's edge.

“In Japan, I think there is a waterfront measure that can be taken now, but it is important that travelers do not bring carelessly infected items. Not only for livestock but also for the general public. It is necessary to understand and cooperate ”(Yamakawa Coordinator)

The impact of African pig cholera spreading in China, the world's largest pig farming nation. Through the interview, I strongly felt that Japan was not a “fire on the other side” anymore, but Japan needed to face up to the crisis.

Reporter Akito Yanagihara, Director General of China