ONE of China’s top animal feed producers said Tuesday an affiliated firm has culled nearly 20,000 pigs due to a suspected case of African swine fever, according to a report by China Securities Journal.

Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group Co. reported the information to investors in an online platform Tuesday, the journal said. The company could not be reached for comment.

China has reported more than 30 separate outbreaks of the deadly disease in nine provinces and municipalities since the first case in early August and has slaughtered tens of thousands of animals.

Shenzhen-listed Dabeinong has expanded from feed production into pig farming in recent years, building large sow farms to supply the world’s top pork market. It was the 15th-largest producer in China in 2017, according to China Swine Industry Association data.

Like many other companies, it has bought or invested in other pig farming firms in an attempt to grow more rapidly and fill a gap left by the exit of small farmers.

According to the China Securities Journal report, it owns a 40 percent stake in two pig farming companies in northeastern Liaoning Province, including one in Beizhen City, under the administration of Jinzhou City, where the suspected case was found.

China’s agriculture ministry reported late Monday a new outbreak of African swine fever on a farm with 19,938 pigs in Jinzhou City. It did not identify the farm, but said 221 pigs had died from the disease, and that local authorities had culled all animals according to regulations.

It was the largest farm yet to report a case of the highly contagious disease, which analysts said underscored the increasing severity of the outbreak.

Dabeinong produced 640,000 pigs for slaughter in 2017, according to its financial report. It did not disclose numbers for farms that are not majority owned by the company.

(SD-Agencies)