A Rabobank report says the African Swine Fever virus has shifted the outlook for the global pork industry. The virus was first found in China and has now been confirmed in Belgium.
Rabobank says the potential for the spread of the disease around the world has increased exponentially. Twenty cases have been confirmed in China. The Rabobank report says, “It’s unlikely that this disease has been contained, with additional cases expected to be reported.”
China has placed restrictions on animal transportation in the country, which means significant disruptions in pork supplies. Surplus pork supplies are weighing the markets down as producers are rushing to market their healthy animals. Chinese pork prices have risen 40 percent since the country put the curbs in place on transportation. The report predicts a supply gap of two million to three million metric tons may emerge.
Rabobank also says finding the virus in feral hogs in Belgium may make it much harder to contain the spread if those wild animals carry the virus into other countries.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.