South African Serotype 1 Foot-and-Mouth Disease Disrupts Livestock Industry Chain

On March 28, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs officially confirmed that, following diagnosis by the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease occurred in Yining County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, and Gulang County, Wuwei City, Gansu Province. A total of 6,229 head of cattle were affected, with 219 showing clinical symptoms.

On April 7, the Animal Husbandry and Rural Development Bureau of Songshan District, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia further clarified that both outbreaks were caused by South African Serotype 1 foot-and-mouth disease and were "transmitted across the border".

Sources within the industry chain reported that the virus has now spread from cattle and sheep to pigs. Regarding prevention and control measures, domestic companies Zhongnong Weitai and JINYU have received emergency approval numbers for targeted vaccines, which will be prioritized for cattle and sheep populations.

Industry insiders analyze that this virus imposes higher requirements on biosafety capabilities within the relevant breeding sectors, likely accelerating the scaling up of beef cattle farming and speeding up the clearance of backward capacity. (Shanghai Securities News)