Pork consumption plummets as fear of ASF virus spreads

As new cases of the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus come to light across the country, sellers of pig products are reporting a decline in business activity, threatening their livelihood and raising a public health alert.

The outbreak began in neighbouring Vietnam and has so far reached four provinces in the Kingdom – Ratanakkiri, Tboung Khmum, Svay Rieng and Takeo.

Sellers at markets in Phnom Penh say pork consumption is dramatically down since early this month, but prices remain stable. If the outbreak is not brought under control, farmers say their businesses will suffer the consequences.

Sao Phorn, 42, a pork seller at Phsar Chas (Old Market) in Phnom Penh, yesterday told Khmer Times that her business is already feeling the pinch, with concerned customers refusing to buy meat.

“Since consumers learned about the disease, we have been selling much less than before,” she said. Before news of the outbreak spread, Ms Phorn explained, she used to buy eight pigs a day to sell in the market as pork. Now, it is down to just three pigs per day, but demand is so low that some days she fails to sell out.

Despite the decrease in consumption, Ms Phorn said prices have remained stable, with a kilogram of pork fetching around $5. “If the outbreak continues, it will hurt my business and we will have to consider lowering our prices to survive,” she said.

Authorities have stressed that the disease does not harm people. However, news of the virus is having “a psychological effect” on the consumer, resulting in lower consumption of pork products, said Srun Pov, president of the Cambodian Pig Raiser Association.

Mr Pov said that around 20 to 30 percent of consumers have stopped eating pork after the cases surfaced.

“They stopped eating because they are afraid of becoming sick. For example, up to 20 percent fewer pigs raised at local slaughterhouses are being used for pork. This is a sign that fewer people are eating pork,” he told Khmer Times last week.

According to the Cambodian Pig Raiser Association, the country consumes between 5,000 and 6,000 pigs a day. About 30 percent of that comes from Thailand and Vietnam.

He noted that farmers are selling a kilogram of pork for about $2.5 but that prices vary from province to province. In areas near Vietnam or areas where the disease has been reported, farmers are forced to sell at a lower price, around $2 per kilogram.

Keo Chantha, 58, a pork seller in Phsar Thmei (Central Market), told Khmer Times yesterday that her business has also been affected, particularly since last week.

She said she is now selling about 100 fewer kilograms of pork a day, despite having veterinary certificates that prove her products are safe to eat.

Prices, however, remain roughly the same, she said. They might decrease if the outbreak continues, she added.

“Despite having the certificate, consumers are still uneasy about eating pork,” she said, blaming fake news that she said have gone viral on social media for exacerbating the situation.

Chan Reaksmey, who was grocery shopping in Phsar Chas yesterday, proved Ms Chantha and Ms Phorn right when she told Khmer Times that she preferred fish over pork at the moment.

“It is not just my family: my neighbours are also afraid of eating pork,” she said.

“We are really afraid the meat is infected with a virus that can make us sick.” Ms Reaksmey added that her fears partially stem from a Facebook post she recently saw about infected pigs illegally imported into the country and sold at local markets.

Sao Phorn, a pork seller in Phnom Penh’s Phsar Chas, says the news of the ASF outbreak has disrupted her business.

“The post scared me and now I don’t want to eat meat,” she said.Last week, cases of the virus were reported in the villages Kampong Serey and Soy in Mien commune, making Tboung Khmum the second province after Ratanakkiri to be hit by the disease.

Since then, more cases have appeared in Svay Rieng and Takeo.Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon has repeatedly called on authorities to take decisive action to prevent illegal pig imports. Moreover, the ministry has temporarily suspended all forms of buying, selling, raising and transporting pigs in areas where the disease has been found.

According to Minister Sakhon, about 1.9 million pigs were raised by small farmers last year, while about 800,000 were raised by corporations. There are 670 pig farms across the Kingdom, he noted.This news from khmertimeskh.com