Year Of The Pig Apocalypse

The ripple effects of China’s epidemic of African swine fever could reach as far as Brazil

- Cristina Lindblad

This is the Year of the Pig, according to the Chinese zodiac, but it’s shaping up to be a disaster for its namesake. What started with a few dozen dead hogs in northeastern China has turned into a porcine epidemic sending shock waves through the global food chain.

Last August a farm on the outskirts of Shenyang with fewer than 400 of the animals was found to harbor African swine fever, the first reported occurrence of the contagious viral disease in China, which is home to half the world’s pigs. Forty-seven died, triggering emergency measures including mass culling and a blockade to stop the transportation of livestock. Within a couple of days, a government notice proclaimed the outbreak “effectively controlled.”

But it wasn’t. The disease had already literally gone viral, dispersed across hundreds of miles by sickened pigs, contaminated animal feed, and even dust on truck tires and clothing. Nine months later, the contagion has spread nationwide, crossed borders to Cambodia, Mongolia, and Vietnam, and pushed up prices for pork products from the U.S. to Spain. There’s a silver lining for exporters of alternatives to pork, such as beef and chicken, with meatpackers in Australia and Brazil reporting higher sales.