HONG Kong has ordered the culling of almost two thousand pigs after confirming a second case of African swine fever (ASF) in a month.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) on Thursday (Nov 23) said it planned to cull around 1,900 pigs from one herd on Nov 25 after the virus was discovered at a local pig farm.

The licenced pig farm at Lau Fau Shan, in the rural Yuen Long area near the border with mainland China, tested positive for the ASF virus after staff took samples from 62 pigs.

“The present case does not affect the operation of local slaughterhouses nor the overall supply of live pigs,” the department spokesperson said in a statement, adding that it will stringently conduct cleaning and keep local pig farms under close surveillance.

Earlier this month, authorities ordered the culling of around 5,600 pigs after detecting an ASF outbreak at a farm in Yuen Long. It was not immediately clear if the second case was found at the same farm or a different one. REUTERS