China's Xinjiang reports foot and mouth outbreak in pigs

China's northwestern region of Xinjiang has reported an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among pigs, which killed 25 hogs and sickened 58, the second outbreak in the region so far in the year, the ministry of agriculture said.

The recent outbreak was less serious than the one reported in February, when 3,941 pigs were culled.

The outbreak in Xinjiang, located far from major breeding areas in the southwest and central provinces, is unlikely to hurt animal feed consumption.

China's pig breeding industry has recently been hit by a drug-contamination scandal and pig breeders in the country's major pig province of Henan fed pigs with ractopamine, a lean-meat drug, which was banned in the country.

The scandal has caused a public outcry on concerns over the country's meat safety, prompting the ministry later to clarify that 99.4% of sampled pigs were free of the drug in the first quarter of the year.

China National Grain and Oils Information Centre (CNGOIC) said that the drug scandal had limited impact on corn demand from its animal feed mills. The centre estimated demand in 20102011 would grow 6 percent to 105 million tonnes.

Piglet prices rose 25% in late March from February, indicating that breeders were still active in restocking, the centre said in a report posted on it website (www.grain.gov.cn).