What is African swine fever? ASF is a highly contagious viral pig disease. The most common symptoms of the virus in its acute form are a high temperature and loss of appetite; other symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, and difficulty with breathing and standing.

China has culled 916,000 pigs after around 100 outbreaks of African swine fever in the country, the agriculture ministry said this week, as the disease continues to spread to new regions and larger farms.

South Africa’s North West Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development Department on Friday dispatched a team of veterinarians and animal health technicians to deal with the case of African Swine Fever (ASF) reported in Doornhoek farm near Lichtenburg Town, African Daily Voice has learnt.

In a cruel irony in the Chinese Year of the Pig, outbreaks of African Swine Fever are forcing huge culls that could send pork prices to levels never seen before.