UN Holding Emergency Meeting on China Asian Swine Fever

The UN is holding a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on African Swine Fever in China running through Friday with nine countries close to China sending experts to the session along with those from outside the region.China has now confirmed nine cases of swine fever."It is critical that this region be ready for the very real possibility that (swine fever) could jump the border into other countries," said Wantanee Kalpravidh, regional manager of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization's Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) in Asia. "That is why this emergency meeting has been convened - to assess where we are now - and to determine how we can work together in a coordinated, regional response to this serious situation."Cambodia, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam sent experts to the session where they will also meet with Chinese officials. They will analyze the spread of the disease and assess the risks to the production and marketing chains for pork/pigs.Meanwhile, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said he thinks it is possible that China may be underreporting the presence of Asian Swine Fever in the country.