Traditional Small-unit Production |
Recent releases by the Department of Agriculture in China confirm outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in numerous provinces. Rabobank recently estimated that the sow herd fell between three to five percent over the period December 2020 through February 2021. In 2019, African swine fever reduced the hog herd by as much as 30 percent resulting in a sharp increase in imports of frozen and chilled pork, a drawdown of inventory and a significant expansion in broiler production.
Despite the risk of infection, large integrators have erected multilevel mega-farms that are considered less likely to be infected by ASF due to extreme levels of biosecurity in comparison to smaller family-operated units.
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