China toughens pig-slaughtering checks to curb African swine fever

BEIJING -- China has required pig slaughterhouses to conduct self-checks under the monitoring of veterinarians to curb the spread of African swine fever, according to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Monday.

The ministry expects that compulsory checks can help it find out the situation in slaughterhouses, track their epidemic control and the whereabouts of their pigs and swine products, the statement said.

Taking slaughterhouses as "an important link" of the pork production chain, the ministry said it was much easier to collect samples at slaughterhouses, which could help maximize the coverage of African swine fever inspection and facilitate epidemic assessment based on clinical results and pig autopsy.

Currently, most slaughterhouses are capable of conducting self-checks of the virus, the statement noted.

And 98.49 percent of slaughterhouses with an annual capacity of more than 100,000 pigs had conducted self-checks as of April 22, with the remaining ones having suspended production. The slaughterhouses with an annual capacity below 100,000 pigs were told to start self-checks no later than July 1.

The ministry also emphasized the need to have official veterinarians supervise the quarantine, stressing that it was a significantly systematic arrangement to cut off the spread of animal epidemic diseases and to ensure the safety of animal products and public health security.

Slaughterhouses which fail to conduct self-checks of their swine products will not be granted veterinary inspection certificates, the ministry warned.