China pork prices soar as herds hit by fever, farm closures

BEIJING – Chinese families are having to rethink menu options as pork prices soar after herds were decimated by African swine fever and large-scale closures of pig farms for environmental reasons.

China raises about half of the world’s pigs, and the outbreaks of African swine fever that began over a year ago have ravaged its herds. The disease does not infect humans.

Officials announced this week new measures to revive hog production, prevent and control the disease and upgrade farms to further ensure pork supplies and stable prices.

Pork prices surged 46.7% in August from a year earlier, adding 1.08 percentage points to a 2.8% rise in the consumer price index. That’s hitting Chinese families hard: pork accounts for more than 60% of their meat consumption.