China bans pig imports from Laos amid African Swine Fever outbreak

CHINA – China has announced a ban on direct and indirect imports of pigs, wild boars, and related products from Laos following the country’s first reported outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) on June 20.

The General Administration of Customs emphasized that any pigs or related products from Laos intercepted by border defense authorities would be destroyed under customs supervision.

The disease, which has been spreading across Asia, was recently confirmed in Laos’ southern province of Saravane, as reported by the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health.

ASF, a lethal viral disease for pigs, poses no threat to human health but can have severe economic implications by causing pork shortages and trade disruptions.

With no available treatment or vaccine, prevention remains the primary defense against the virus.

The spread of ASF is not confined to Asia.

In Germany, ASF has been detected for the first time in wild boar in the western region.

A wild boar tested positive for ASF near Rüsselsheim in Hessen, close to Frankfurt-am-Main.

The sick animal was culled after testing positive on June 14, and two nearby wild boar carcasses tested negative for the virus.

Authorities have responded by erecting fences to prevent further spread.

The Hessen region, which is about 500 kilometers from the Polish border and not previously linked to ASF-affected areas, has around 5,600 pigs across 76 farms.

One of the larger farms houses approximately 2,000 pigs.

The origin of the virus in this area is uncertain, but it may be related to wild boars consuming contaminated waste near motorways A60 and A67.