Pork products pulled after authorities detect African swine fever

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A frozen food manufacturer has looked to reassure consumers that it has taken immediate action to secure its supply chains, after authorities in northwest China's Gansu Province confirmed over the weekend that traces of African swine fever were found in pork products on sale in the region.

Sanquan, one of China's biggest frozen dumpling producers, said in a statement on Monday that it had acted straight away to remove potentially affected batches of its products from sales channels, and was communicating and working with authorities.

Chinese media reported on Friday that traces of African swine fever had been found in three different Sanquan frozen dumpling products, following tests in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, and Xiangxi, central China's Hunan Province.

Apologizing “for the trouble and inconvenience caused” to consumers, Sanquan said in its statement that joint investigation teams with provincial agricultural authorities had been dispatched to Gansu and Hunan, and promised to “strictly comply with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on the prevention and control of African swine fever.”

Shares in Sanquan had plummeted by more than 10 percent on Monday morning after media reports first emerged on Friday, before recovering following the company's statement.

According to China Daily, agricultural authorities in Gansu Province confirmed “tests on pork products sold in the region returned positive results” for African swine fever, after a leaked report circulated online last week, claiming “83 out of 149 samples of processed pork products for sale” in five Gansu cities contained traces of the virus.

Beyond Sanquan, 10 other companies were cited in the leaked report as being affected by African swine fever. Authorities have said further tests are being carried out, with the leaked results coming “from a preliminary stage of the investigation.”

Sanquan has the biggest market share in China's huge frozen food market, and has been recognized by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce as one of the country's 500 largest private enterprises.

In 2017 the company made record revenue of 5.2 billion yuan (767.7 million U.S. dollars), with more than 400 different products on offer to consumers. That year, its frozen dumplings made up almost 38 percent of total sales.

Outbreaks of African swine fever have pushed down pork prices in China, with northeastern provinces particularly affected. /VCG Photo

According to Xinhua, the first outbreak of African swine fever was detected in northeast China's Liaoning Province in August 2018, before spreading to “many other provincial regions.”

The Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs (MARA) has looked to reassure the public by saying the virus is not harmful for humans.

China Daily reports that as of January 14, African swine fever outbreaks had been reported in 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, leading to the culling of around 916,000 pigs.

Pork prices have been falling in the months since the first reported African swine fever outbreak. MARA said in January it expected prices to recover in the second half of the year, with efforts to contain the virus last month successfully slowing down the number of new cases.