National Ag News

An economist says the spread of African Swine Fever in China
will likely reshape the country’s pork production.

University of Missouri’s Scott Brown says prior to the
outbreak, the makeup of China’s pork industry consisted of a lot of backyard
farms with little to no biosecurity. 

He says those days are probably over.  “Pork production that is left in China, which
we still question where that is,” he says. 
“But what’s left will be more of a confinement type and we’ll see a lot
less of the backyard production going forward.”

He tells Brownfield the actual impact of the disease is
still unknown – and that isn’t likely to change.  Brown says the lack of information creates even
more challenges for the US hog market.  “That
just entices a lot of volatility,” he says. 
“We run prices too high chasing some speculative information that
suggests a big cut in production.  And
then come back and say ‘oh that isn’t as grand as we think’ and then next week
prices move lower.”

African Swine Fever continues to spread and has been confirmed
in all provinces of China, along with herds in Vietnam, Mongolia, and Cambodia.

Continue reading African Swine Fever could reshape China’s pork industry at Brownfield Ag News.