Beijing: China's agriculture ministry said on Monday a new African swine fever outbreak had been reported in northern China's Inner Mongolia region.
Eight hogs were dead and 14 were infected as of September 16, the ministry said.
China has banned the transport of live hogs and pig products from regions bordering provinces that have reported swine fever outbreaks in recent months.
The fever was first detected in China in early August and has been found in 18 farms or abattoirs in six provinces, with many cases more than a 1,000 kms (621 miles) apart, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a statement warning China of an outbreak.
The response to the disease is 'extremely challenging' because the virus can survive for months in meat products, animal feed and swill, said the FAO.
China had banned the transport of live hogs in provinces where infections have been reported, a move that has idled traders, crowded farm pens with unsold pigs, and left slaughterhouses short of stock.
Pork prices in the country's populous south had spiked as demand rose ahead of a week-long holiday in October and highlights the prospect of imports.
Lubroth said the most likely explanation for the vast distances the virus has spread in China is through processed or raw pork products and less likely through the movement of live animals.
