African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed on two farms in Beijing, the first cases in the Chinese capital, according to reports.
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture purportedly confirmed the news to international media outlet Reuters.
According to the outlet, the ministry confirmed that ASF had been discovered on two farms in Fangshan district, in the south-west of Beijing.
The chief veterinary officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Dr. Juan Lubroth met with Chinese Vice Minister of Agriculture Yu Kangzhen and chief veterinary officer Zhang Zhongqiu met with in Beijing.
Dr. Lubroth “spoke highly of the decisive measures adopted by China to prevent and control ASF”, according to the Chinese ministry.
Since the disease was first detected, thousands of pigs have been culled.
It is understood that China accounts for around 50% of the global population of swine, estimated at 500 million.
The disease has been spreading in eastern Europe since it first entered the European Union in 2014. It has recently been detected in wild boars in countries such as Poland, Latvia, Romania and Belgium.