China’s pig disease outbreaks cast pall over recovery UNUSUALLY COLD: Up to 15 percent of the country’s hog herd might have been lost to disease over the winter, which would delay recovery to next year, a consultant said Bloomberg China’s farm ministry is touting a complete recovery in pig numbers from the ravages of African swine fever by the middle of this year. Fresh outbreaks of the virus and other lethal pig diseases could pose risks to that outlook. A resurgence of African swine fever cases in colder northern provinces prompted farmers to slaughter more of their breeding sows before the Lunar New Year, said Lin Guofa, a senior analyst at consultancy Bric Agriculture Group.