FILE PHOTO: Pigs are seen on the back of a truck outside a slaughterhouse in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China December 22, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s agriculture ministry said on Monday it will carry out checks on the ability of local veterinary authorities to prevent and control the spread of the deadly African swine fever virus.
The investigations will take place in 10 provinces and be completed by Oct. 31, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
It comes after China’s cabinet said there were deficiencies in the country’s efforts to properly tackle the spread of the disease, which has reached every province of the country and caused a sharp decline in the hog herd.
Reporting by Dominique Patton; editing by Christian Schmollinger
