PRRS found in 22 Chinese provinces
About 22 Chinese provinces have been hit by PRRS during the first five months of this year, killing 18,597 pigs, the country’s chief veterinarian has announced.
Altogether, the disease was found in 45,858 pigs, leading to the culling of 5,778 animals, said Jia Youling, director of the veterinary bureau, related to the country’s ministry of agriculture.
Within three months of the disease being identified, a vaccine was developed; and the ministry has authorised 12 factories to produce the vaccine, Jia said.
Allocation
The finance ministry allocated 285 million yuan (€27.88 million) toward free vaccines for smaller breeding farms, where the disease was widespread last year.
About a million pigs died of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), last year only known as ‘high-fever disease’.
Panic
“The disease caused panic, but the pig death rate last year was actually within the normal range of 6 to 8%. The ‘high-fever disease’ accounted for only 0.2% of the fatalities.”
Jia also said the outbreak had contributed in the recent pork price increases, adding however that ‘the main reason was the big price increases of animal feed that began last June’.
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