The World Animal Health Organization (OIE) says it will take China years to contain the deadly African swine fever virus that has spread throughout the country.

China is struggling with an epidemic that some analysts predict could lead to the death or culling of up to 200 million pigs this year, causing a huge shortage of pork locally and having an economic impact on the meat and feed industry around the world.

Outbreaks have already been reported in almost all regions of Mainland China.

“China will fight this African swine fever for many more years,” said OIE Deputy Director General Matthew Stone in an interview on the sidelines of the 87th session of the General Assembly of the World Animal Health Organization.

“The situation with the ASF epidemic in Asia will continue to develop because there is serious contamination of the meat and meat products supply chain and practices such as litter feeding, which may not be properly regulated. For some Asian countries, the huge problem is to transform their farming systems into systems with higher biological safety, but this is absolutely necessary, ”Stone said.

The spread of African swine fever not only reduced the number of pigs in Asia and the pork market in China, but also affected the international market for pork and animal feed such as soybeans. “We will live with African swine fever for many years,” summed up the OIE Deputy CEO.

On Tuesday (May 28), the OIE launched a global initiative, which should be coordinated with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to try to control the disease.