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China Science

A Quarter of the World's Pigs Died Last Year in China (nytimes.com) 39

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
By the end of August 2019, the entire pig population of China had dropped by about 40 percent. China accounted for more than half of the global pig population in 2018, and the epidemic there alone has killed nearly one-quarter of all the world's pigs. From a report: By late September, the disease had cost economic losses of one trillion yuan (about $141 billion), according to Li Defa, dean of the College of Animal Science and Technology at China Agricultural University in Beijing. Qiu Huaji, a leading Chinese expert on porcine infectious diseases, has said that African swine fever has been no less devastating "than a war" -- in terms of "its effects on the national interest and people's livelihoods and its political, economic and social impact." "We lost hundreds of thousands of yuan," my sister-in-law bemoaned, several tens of thousands of dollars. "Haven't you been compensated by the government for the dead pigs?" I asked. "Only 100 yuan per head," less than $15, she said, "That didn't help."
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A Quarter of the World's Pigs Died Last Year in China More

A Quarter of the World's Pigs Died Last Year in China

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  • Again? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Nidi62 ( 1525137 ) on Friday January 03, 2020 @01:22PM (#59582692)

    So half the pigs in China died last year then?

    • Seems that way. Perhaps this could be duped twice more, then we will have no pigs!

      • Perhaps this could be duped twice more, then we will have no pigs!

        Literary response to a bacon-less future:

        “Anything approaching the change that came over his features I have never seen before, and hope never to see again. He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision—he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: “‘The horror! The horror!” -- Joseph Conrad, "Heart of Darkness"

        . . . and . . .

        “Anything approaching the change that came over his features I have never seen before, and hope never to see again. He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision—he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: “‘The bacon! The bacon!” -- Oscar Mayer, "Belly of Pork"

    • Re:Again? (Score:5, Funny)

      by kamakazi ( 74641 ) on Friday January 03, 2020 @01:38PM (#59582758)

      No, 25%, then 25% of the remaining 75%. That means a total of 7/16 or 43.75% of the original count died.

      This actually is a very rare event, you have heard the expression "When pigs fly"? Well, these swine flu.

      • heard the expression "When pigs fly"? Well, these swine flu.

        I have no points to mark you both UP and DOWN at the same time. You're welcome.

    • A quarter of all Slashdot posts are dupes. They have been exporting them to China as pig fodder. This has resulted in mass swine suicide.

    • Double the pig deaths double the bacon. Winner winner chicke.. bacon dinner

  • so (Score:2)

    by rossdee ( 243626 )

    In Japan You only live twice

    In China, pigs die twice

  • Posting dupes 'til kingdom come.

    Can we please finally let Slashdot die?
    I can't look at this anymore.

  • DUPE. ON THE FRONT PAGE. AT THE SAME TIME. (Score:3)

    by pz ( 113803 ) on Friday January 03, 2020 @01:49PM (#59582796) Journal

    So, msmash forgot to review the stories that were recently approved prior to starting work? Sure looks like it.

    SLASHDOT EDITORS -- here's a tip: when you're sipping your morning coffee and getting settled in for the day, take two minutes to read all of the headlines that have been posted since the last time you finished a shift.

  • Culling vs dying (Score:5, Informative)

    by sdinfoserv ( 1793266 ) on Friday January 03, 2020 @01:57PM (#59582842)
    Dying is such an nice word. China dug pits, pushed in the animals alive by the thousands, and buried them alive. Video's leaked showing screaming of pigs as they were buried.drew outrage from the globe
    https://www.fwi.co.uk/livestoc... [fwi.co.uk]
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/ru... [abc.net.au]

    • The virus does not infect humans and is killed by heat.

      So instead of burying the pigs, they could butcher them, process the meat into cooked pork products (sausage, ham, etc) and sell it.

      This would stop farmers from cheating and trying to evade quarantines.

      • Transfer of influenza from swine to human is common and has caused some of the deadliest strains of influenza.
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

        • Transfer of influenza from swine to human is common and has caused some of the deadliest strains of influenza.

          African Swine Fever [wikipedia.org] and Swine Flu [wikipedia.org] are two completely different diseases.

          • African Swine Fever and Swine Flu are two completely different diseases.

            So . . .

            KEEPER: What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen Swine Flu?

            ARTHUR: What do you mean? An African Swine Fever or European Swine Flu?

            KEEPER: What? I don't know that! Auuuuuuuugh!

            Back in the 70's in the US there was a fear that a Swine Flu epidemic was about to occur and that everyone needed to be vaccinated against it. I can't remember if it was African Swine Fever or European Swine Flu.

            Unfortunately, there were reports of some nasty complications caused by the vaccine, which resulted in a general hysteria against vaccination.

            I wonder if this was the grand-parent of the anti-vaxxer crew movement?

            • No, it's even older. The anti-vaccine movement started in the city of Leicester when the British government made the small pox vaccine mandatory in 1867. The Leicester method (basically quarantine) is still cited by anti-vaxxers, despite the fact that it didn't pan out back then.

  • Really? (Score:3)

    by Darth Maul ( 19860 ) on Friday January 03, 2020 @02:21PM (#59582926)

    All you had to do was scroll through the first page of your very own site before posting this.

    Not sure why I came back here after being away for so long... it's still has fundamental issues in its editing.

  • But (Score:2)

    by Dunbal ( 464142 ) *
    What's not funny is the way they dispose of the sick pigs. There are videos on the internet if you look for them. Dig a big hole with heavy machinery. Dump the pigs in there with a dump truck. Then when the hole is sufficiently full they pour diesel on them and set them on fire. The sound of squealing, burning pigs is not nice to hear... but hey you didn't expect the Chinese to be humane now did you.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by fred911 ( 83970 )

      'Dig a big hole with heavy machinery. Dump the pigs in there with a dump truck. '

      On a much smaller level, using charcoal instead of diesel, they turn out quite delicious. We call it a luau.

    • on the plus side that smells like yummy frying bacon.

  • Fuck did I really just read this right? A quarter of the world's slaves, under the care of China have been neglected and mistreated to the point where an infectious disease has completely eradicated them, with the only silver lining being that those poor souls can now rest in eternal peace, and all anyone can shout about is not getting some fucking slave flesh between their noodles and losing money from their slave trade. And I'm supposed to feel something for these people?

  • I would assume near 100% of the worlds pigs die each year what with them being slaughtered at various times depending on meat wanted up to 1 year.

  • I have a theory why pork was such an issue in China. 2019 (or at least the 10 or so months of 2019 after the Chinese New Year) was the Year of the Pig in many cultures across East Asia. So the Pig became the sort-of favorite animal, if by favorite, we mean favorite food.

    I just checked, and this year it's going to be the Rat, and that's something unlikely to be panic bought into short supply.

  • It is rare to find a topic so ripe with the promise of double entendres.

  • Hey Slashdot editors ....

    This story was just posted yesterday [slashdot.org].
    And the daily dupes have been an ongoing phenomenon for the past several months.

    Can you guys get your acts together and do some basic due diligence? It is included in being an 'editor' anyway ...

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