African Swine Fever (ASF), a severe haemorrhagic disease in pigs, has been reported in the Northern Cape, the Department of Agriculture said on Thursday.
The new blow to the pork industry comes as prices tumbled after a listeria outbreak that has killed more than 200 people and was traced to polony processed at a factory owned by Tiger Brands.
ASF, which is not transmitted to humans, can result in "a great number of the deaths of pigs in a short span of time" and is transmitted by contact with other infected pigs, ticks or from infected swill, the department said in a statement.
The unrelated listeria outbreak, the biggest ever recorded, is expected to cause around R1bn ($80m) in losses to the pork value chain due to the changes in consumer perceptions of pork.
Reuters
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