China's pig farms battle new outbreak of African swine fever

BEIJING, March 15 (Reuters) - A rise in African swine fever infections in China is likely to reduce hog production later this year, farm managers and analysts said this week, pushing up prices in the world's biggest consumer of pork as demand recovers. The incurable disease has plagued China for years, with an initial wave in 2018 and 2019 killing millions of pigs and leading to a dramatic decline in meat production that has roiled global markets. Chinese farms have significantly improved hygiene and procedures since then to reduce the impact of the virus, but it still circulates constantly, often increasing in winter. Infections this year began to rise relatively late in the season, around the Lunar New Year holiday in January, when millions of people traveled after China relaxed its COVID restrictions, three managers at pig farming companies and analysts said. . "Data from swine fever virus testing companies show that the number of positive detections has exploded after the New ...