The number of new outbreaks of African swine fever in China has fallen significantly this year, and pig farming is gradually returning to normal, the country's vice minister of agriculture said amid recent reports highlighting the threat of the disease.

Asked about reports of recent new outbreaks of swine fever, Vice Minister of Agriculture Yu Kangzhen told a briefing on July 4 that only 44 new cases were reported in China in the first six months of 2019.

And the total number of cases reported to date by China has reached 143, with 1.16 million pigs being culled.

However, many outbreaks were not reported, farmers told Reuters, and local officials in many provinces did not want to check for cases.

However, the vice minister noted, there are still problems with controlling the spread of the disease. Feeding pigs with kitchen waste is prohibited, but continues. The virus can remain in meat that has not been properly cooked and infect pigs that consume food waste.

Yu Kangzhen added that many of China’s small-scale farmers to prevent this disease are weak, and research and development of a vaccine for the prevention of swine fever is only in its early stages and has faced many different problems.