China confirms the existence of weak points in the control of ASF

With the consent of the Council of State, it has been proposed, among other things:

Prevention on pig farms

• Improve biosecurity by strictly checking the prevention and control measures on pig farms, specially on breeding farms and large pig farms.
• It has been proposed to gradually reduce the proportion of free-range pig farms.
• Effectively implement measures such as cleaning, disinfection and the strict control of the vehicles and staff that enters and exits the farms.
• Encourage that farms carry out tests for ASF, and the early detection and elimination of hidden hazards.
• Repress severely the illegal acquisition, trade, sale and culling of sick pigs and impose the punishments in keeping with the current law.
• Strengthen the supervision of the safe handling of sick and dead pigs.

Management of food waste

• Implement the responsibility regarding the management of food waste. All the towns must clearly define the department in charge of leading the management of food waste. Define, as soon as possible, the responsibility in the management of all the food waste management chain, and establish and improve the supervision mechanism of all the chain.
• Increase the advertising for forbidding the direct use of food waste to feed pigs.

Regulate the quarantine management

• The animal health supervision agencies must strictly implement the quarantine procedures.
• Strengthen the training, supervision and management of the quarantine and certificates issuing staff, and improve their ability to execute their duties according to the law.

Improvement of the management and of the transport of live animals and pig/pork products

• Establish a system for a designated pig transport channel.
• Stress the use of specialised and standardised pig transport vehicles.
• Establish temporary animal health supervision and inspection stations.
• Strict inspection of the transport of pigs and pig/pork products focused on the inspection of the quarantine certificates, the inspection of transport vehicles, the health state of the pigs, etc.

Supervision at abattoirs

• Implement the self-inspection system at abattoirs.
• Implement the official veterinary system; all towns must have official veterinarians at the big, small and medium abattoirs.
• The abattoirs must standardise key points, such as the admission of pigs, the inspection of meat quality, the supply of pork products and the safe treatment of dead pigs, and the strengthening of the implementation of several prevention and control measures, as well as increasing the checking and cleaning of the premises. If the animal epidemics standards are not fulfilled or the standards regarding the spreading of African swine fever are not met, the slaughtering certificate will be revoked, in accordance with the law.
• Supervision of the companies that process pork products and of pig products economic operators so they strictly fulfil the inspection of the products.

Reduce the spreading between regions

• Accelerate the implementation of the prevention and control of areas to reduce the risk of the transregional spreading. All the towns must promote the prevention and the joint control, coordinate and control the regulation of the transport and supply to the market, scientifically plan the industrial distribution of the slaughtering and the processing of pigs, and carry out the slaughtering of pigs in the main production areas as soon as possible. When the conditions allow it, change from the transport of live animals to the transport of pork.
• Draft assessment criteria for the establishment of areas free of African swine fever and disease-free communities. Encourage areas with better natural barriers and integrated pig raising and slaughtering companies with higher biosecurity standards to create areas that are free of ASF and other diseases.

Control of the imports of live animals and pig/pork products

• The imported pork products must be accompanied by a legal entry inspection and a quarantine certificate.
• Avoid the entry through the import of infected animals or products. The imported plant and animal products must obtain the inspection and quarantine certificate of the Customs Department.
• Intensify the inspection and quarantine of the international transport vehicles and international mail and passengers; standardise the elimination of hazardous articles and improve the mechanism for monitoring and reporting the epidemics.
• Strict research and interception in the border, and strengthen the international cooperation against the contraband of pork products and live pigs.
• Strengthen even more the supervision measures of the Hong Kong and Macao channels.

Wild boars

• Strengthen the monitoring and inspection of wild boars to ensure the complete coverage of the key areas and to avoid the spreading among wild boars.

Increase pig production

• Increase the development of pig production in the affected areas by providing financial support.
• Accelerate the transformation and modernisation of the pig industry. Establish a standardised production system and support the use of resources such as manure by improving the agricultural lands policy.
• Adjust and optimise the pig industry design and gradually increase the self-sufficiency rate.