The Government will refine the preventive measures against African swine fever and liaise with different parties to strive to maintain a steady supply of live pigs.

Responding to lawmakers' questions on the live pig supply today, Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan said since May, the supply of live pigs from the Mainland has remained at a low level and the price of fresh pork has surged, thus affecting people's livelihood and the trade’s operation.

The Government is highly concerned about the situation and has been liaising closely with Mainland authorities to reflect the trade and the public’s desire to increase the supply, she added.

Prof Chan noted that the production and supply of live pigs on the Mainland have also been affected by the African swine fever outbreak, adding the pork supply on the Mainland in the second half of this year will be further tightened according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs’ estimation.

To ease the financial pressure on industries affected by the disease and the live pig supply, Prof Chan said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced some relief measures in August.

They include reducing rental by half for six months for stalls in Food & Environmental Hygiene Department public markets, and waiving the licence fee for fresh provision shops, slaughterhouses and pig farms for a year.

The Government has also imposed a daily clearance arrangement in slaughterhouses, which has been implemented smoothly.

“Given the short stay of pigs in the slaughterhouses, which undergo thorough cleansing and disinfection daily, the risk of African swine fever spreading in Hong Kong has been largely minimised.”

She said the Government will ensure the arrangement is sustained and followed through, adding the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department will also ensure that biosecurity measures are properly adopted at local pig farms and carry out active surveillance on the farms through regular inspections.

On a suggestion to explore more sources of live pig supply from other countries such as Thailand and South Korea, Prof Chan said the Government is willing to discuss this with the sector.

“While the Government stands ready to explore the feasibility with and facilitate co-ordination among trades and stakeholders, we have to exercise caution as importation of live food animals entails public health and food safety considerations, and cases of African swine fever have occurred in many other countries.”

The Government will closely monitor the development of the outbreak, as well as the supply and price of live pigs, and maintain close liaison with Mainland authorities, Prof Chan added.