p***n
发帖数: 17190 | 1 https://www.eco-business.com/news/millions-of-small-pig-farmers-in-asia-
threatened-by-swine-fever-outbreak/
Millions of small pig farmers in Asia threatened by swine fever outbreak
Measures to halt swine flu’s spread, such as limiting the transportation of
pork, risks destroying the livelihoods of families who lack the expertise
and funds to protect their herds.
swine flu
Six-week old swine and hogs. Image: CAFNR, CC BY-SA 2.0
Thomson Reuters Foundation
Wednesday 3 July 2019
Millions of small-scale pig farmers across Asia risk falling into poverty
due to the rapid spread of African swine fever, the United Nations warned on
Tuesday.
The incurable disease, which is deadly to pigs but harmless to humans, was
first detected last August in China, the world’s largest pork producer.
Cities
Pig out? Asia gets a taste of climate-friendly 'pork'
Read now
It has since spread thousands of kilometres and “vulnerable” subsistence
farmers in countries including Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia are
particularly at risk, said the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
Measures to halt swine flu’s spread, such as limiting the transportation of
pork, risks destroying the livelihoods of families who lack the expertise
and funds to protect their herds, said the FAO’s report.
The decline in production of pig meat, which is largely consumed by poor
households, and the depletion of frozen stocks could drive up prices and
further strain people’s finances, it said.
“It’s important that these farmers get help as soon as possible,
especially as it appears the virus is not contained,” said Cristina Coslet,
an FAO economist.
“We’ve contacted our offices in affected countries and while it will take
some time to get the exact numbers, we have reports that the small farmers’
incomes are already affected,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation
from Rome by phone.
It’s important that these farmers get help as soon as possible,
especially as it appears the virus is not contained.
Cristina Coslet, economist, UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
African swine fever is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact
with an infected animal or through contaminated food and objects such as
farming equipment.
Currently there is no effective form of prevention but Vietnam said on
Tuesday it has had initial success in creating a vaccine to fight the
disease.
Small farmers producing fewer than 500 pigs for slaughter each year account
for about 40 per cent of China’s output, according to 2016 figures from
Rabobank, the Dutch financial services company.
In Vietnam, almost 10 million people depend on pig farming, said Hung Nguyen
, East and Southeast Asia representative for the International Livestock
Research Institute.
Of these, 60 per cent to 70 per cent are small or medium farms, with between
one and 200 pigs, said Nguyen in a phone interview from Hanoi, Vietnam’s
capital.
“Some of the farmers have lost up to 200 pigs, at a cost of around $50,000,
which is a lot of money for them,” he said.
This story was published with permission from Thomson Reuters Foundation,
the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news,
climate change, resilience, women’s rights, trafficking and property rights
. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate.
Thanks for reading to the end of this story!
We would be grateful if you would consider joining as a member of The EB
Circle. This helps to keep our stories and resources free for all, and it
also supports independent journalism dedicated to sustainable development.
It only costs as little as S$5 a month, and you would be helping to make a
big difference.
Find out more and join The EB Circle |
|
