Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology Diane Wong (fourth right) convenes an interdepartmental meeting with officials from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Environmental Protection Department to formulate an action plan to stop the African Swine Fever virus from spreading in local pig farms on Dec 30, 2023. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong authorities vowed on Saturday to implement enhanced measures against the African Swine Fever after another outbreak was detected at a licensed pig farm in Yuen Long.

Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong convened an interdepartmental meeting on Saturday with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Environmental Protection Department on how to stop the spread of the virus in local pig farms.

The AFCD said on Saturday said it will cull 900 pigs in a licensed pig farm in San Tin, Yuen Long after 10 pigs tested positive on Friday

"While ASF is not a zoonotic disease and will not infect humans or cause any food safety risk, it could cause massive infection in pigs within a short period of time, and the death rate of infected pigs is very high,” Wong said.

“If the spread is not contained, it will seriously impact pig farmers and the pig rearing industry. As such, we should seriously and promptly respond in order to stop virus transmission in local pig farms," she added.

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The AFCD will discuss with the pig rearing industry on the implementation of the enhanced measures to control the transmission of ASF at the soonest.

The AFCD said on Saturday said it will cull 900 pigs in a licensed pig farm in San Tin, Yuen Long after 10 pigs tested positive on Friday.

AFCD staff immediately notified all local pig farmers of this incident and reminded them to immediately report any abnormal health condition observed in pigs, an AFCD spokesman said. 

The AFCD also arranged for its staff to inspect the eight pig farms within three kilometers of the index farm and collect pig samples for ASF testing.

“For the sake of prudence, the AFCD has been suspending movements of pigs on those eight pig farms until further notice. No reports of abnormalities from pig farms outside the three-kilometer zone have been received so far,” the spokesman said. 

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He said AFCD staff are conducting visits in phases to all local licensed pig farms to ensure biosecurity measures have been properly implemented.

The spokesman added that the present case does not affect the operation of local slaughterhouses nor the overall supply of live pigs.

Hong Kong authorities had culled a total of 4,800 pigs earlier this month to stop three separate outbreaks in licensed pig farms in Yuen Long. In November, 5,624 pigs were culled in a single licensed pig farm, also in Yuen Long, after samples there tested for the virus.