China cracks down on illegal ASF vaccines

Illegal ASF vaccines, new strains and artificial gene deletion... That's what CHINA is going to fight.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China said that further combating illegal activities related to counterfeit African swine fever (ASF) vaccines includes the standardization of ASF prevention and control measures and efforts to support the recovery of pig production.

To date, no country has confirmed the use of an ASF vaccine. The ASF vaccines used in production in China are not verified and are counterfeit, which poses a huge safety risk. All local farms and veterinary services are advised to strengthen their monitoring of ASF vaccine development and use. This includes conducting investigations and coordinating with the public to record and investigate such cases.

Identification and testing of strains with artificial gene deletion should be strengthened. If such strains are found, the local veterinary services should be reported.

China's Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center and China's Animal HEALTH and Epidemiology Center are to intensify their epidemiological investigation of "new strains" of ASF virus to analyze virus mutation and epidemiological situation.

The ministry also called for tougher penalties for illegal activities related to counterfeit ASF vaccines and stronger synergies between administrative and criminal law. The ministry is offering a 30,000 yuan reward for reporting confirmed cases of fake African swine fever vaccine use.