Appeal for disinfectants in China as dead livestock rot in flood aftermath
- Agriculture association says disease prevention supplies needed to fend off pathogens
- Authorities in one county have culled herds to avert outbreaks, group says
The rotting carcasses of dead animals easily produced pathogens, but disinfection material was insufficient, the semi-official China Animal Agriculture Association said on its website, after the farms in Tangyin county were flooded.
It also sought donations of other disease prevention materials, such as veterinary drugs and vaccines, on behalf of local government authorities.
“Large quantities of disinfectants are needed,” said a manager with a pig producer that has farms in Henan.
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Drone footage shows scores of luxury cars damaged by deadly flooding in central China
The industry’s biggest concern was the potential for disease to spread, said the manager, who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to talk to the media.
Flooding had hit both small and corporate farms alike, he added.
Heavy rain and floods, blamed for fresh outbreaks of the disease last year, threatened to frustrate the effort of the past two years to rebuild the herd.
In the move to avert disease, Tangyin authorities have culled more than 210,000 head of livestock, including 3,956 pigs, after floods killed 380,242 animals in the region, according to the husbandry association.
Tangyin produced 309,000 pigs by the end of last year, the local government said on its website, while Henan, with 43.11 million produced in 2020, ranks as the country’s third-largest producer.
Last week, the agriculture ministry advised local government officials on steps to prevent animal disease after flooding, including disposal of carcasses and disinfection.
