China increasing biosecurity, CPC says

 

Staff Writer

Farms.com

 

China’s pork sector is in the early stages of boosting its biosecurity, Dr. Egan Brockhoff of the veterinary counsel with the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) said in a Farmscape article today.

 

To assist with China’s biosecurity during the country’s African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak, Canadian ag professionals are giving advice to industry members.

 

Biosecurity in China varies by location, Brockhoff said in the Farmscape article. Some regions have complex biosecurity systems in place while others have none, resulting in poor health status across all regions. 

 

“It's difficult … if not impossible to buy animals (in China) that are free of Classical Swine Fever and PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome) virus and Mycoplasma, and so biosecurity is complicated,” Brockhoff said in the article. “(In) building these very large systems, they're pulling in genetic replacements from multiple different sources … you still have a lot mixing of animals from different genetics (and) significantly different health statuses.”

 

Biosecurity for transport trucks is low in China, he added. The country has few “truck washes capable of proper clean and disinfection. 

 

“Although you've got some farms that do a good job at controlling people movement, they don't always have systems in place to manage animal and transport movement, and certainly not feed and seed risks as well,” said Brockhoff.

 

Making marginal gains in biosecurity has diminished disease pressures. China’s pork sector, however, has a long road ahead, he said. 

 

 

 

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