(Yicai Global) May 28 -- China’s customs administration and agricultural ministry have banned the import of wild and domestic pigs and pork from India amid fears over African swine fever.

Any pigs, wild boars or related products arriving from India must be sealed and cannot be re-opened without permission from customs authorities so long as they remain in China, the General Administration of Customs and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural affairs said in an order issued today.

The move comes after the World Organization for Animal Health published information on seven African swine fever cases in Assam, India, on May 22.

African swine fever broke out in northern China in August 2018 and swept across the country, with around 40 percent of pig stocks succumbing to the disease and slaughter numbers tumbling 30 percent. As a result, pork prices surged 42.5 percent annually in 2019, hitting record highs and kicking the consumer price index up 2.9 percent on the year.

The current domestic situation is still complicated and tense, Chinese authorities said on May 12. The virus hit large areas of the country and there is an increasing risk of importing the infection, so China is sparing no effort to prevent another wave.

China is the world’s largest pork consumer and has long been reliant on imports from Germany, Brazil, Europe and North America. It imported 1.35 million tons of pork in the first four months, almost tripling the amount from a year earlier.

Editor: James Boynton