THE Department of Agriculture (DA) banned the importation of domestic and wild pigs from countries hit by African Swine Fever (ASF), following confirmed growing cases in several provinces in China.

In a statement over the weekend, the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) cited confirmed outbreaks of ASF in four provinces in China, with the first case having been reported last August 3 in Liaoning province. Despite the control measures, the disease has spread to three other provinces, occurring in less than a month after the initial outbreak.