China’s African Swine Fever Outbreak: Implications for U.S. Food Safety and Trade

05/15/2019

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Sean O’Connor

In 2018, China reported several cases of African swine fever, or ASF, a highly contagious disease that is deadly to pigs. The disease has now spread throughout China, where it has already reduced the country’s hog population by more than 50 million, and throughout other countries in Asia. This report provides an overview of the ASF outbreak in China, the implications for U.S. exports of pork and animal feed products, and the risks posed to U.S. food safety and food security.

Key Findings

  • A swine fever outbreak has significantly reduced China’s hog population. The impact is expected to result
    in increased U.S. pork exports to China but decreased exports of animal feed products like soybeans and
    sorghum.
  • China’s poor food safety regulations and inspection systems contributed to the spread of the ASF virus.
  • Because the United States does not import pork from China, the outbreak does not currently pose a direct threat to U.S. public health or farmers. However, the virus could still spread to U.S. hog farms through contaminated nonpork products or pet food.
China's ASF Outbreak

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