Recently, a new outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) has occurred in several provinces in China, marking the first large-scale spread of the virus within the country. The epidemic has spread to at least 12 provinces, with the existing vaccines proving ineffective and a high mortality rate among young livestock. Villages and roads have been sealed off, cattle markets shut down, and pig prices plummeted to historic lows, resulting in massive losses for numerous breeders.
According to a report from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on March 28, outbreaks of FMD caused by the South African type 1 (SAT1) strain have been confirmed in Yining County, Ili Prefecture, Xinjiang, and Gulang County, Wuwei City, Gansu. This marks the first outbreak of this serotype of the virus within Chinese borders.
A report on April 9 by Caixin Global revealed that the outbreak in Yining County affected a trading market with 513 head of cattle, 142 of which were infected; while in Gulang County, an affected breeding farm had 5,716 head of cattle, with 77 cases observed. Following the outbreak, measures such as culling infected livestock have been implemented in the affected areas.
The SAT1 strain of FMD is not a common disease. This virus has previously devastated the livestock industry in South Africa, causing significant economic losses and even being declared a national disaster at one point.
It is reported that cattle, sheep, and pigs are all susceptible animals, with a mortality rate of up to 50% for young cattle and between 30% to 70% for piglets. The virus can spread through various pathways such as air, feed, surfaces, and transport vehicles, with an incubation period of 2 to 14 days.
Notably, the currently widely used FMD vaccines in China primarily target O and A types, rendering them completely ineffective against the SAT1 strain.
The rapid spread of the epidemic has plunged frontline breeders into panic and despair.
Zheng Dapeng, a pig farmer from Shanxi Province, who keeps 600 pigs on his farm, is currently struggling to make ends meet. He told reporters, “There is no specific drug for this year’s South African FMD, nor is there a vaccine.” He added, “The pigs are lying on the ground in pain, not eating their feed.”
Zheng observed that the impact of this outbreak on cattle and sheep is particularly severe, stating, “Pigs are relatively okay, but the impact on cattle and sheep is significant. Cases have even appeared in Gansu.”
He further disclosed that strict inspections are now in place across provinces, with checkpoints established at all intersections, and “cross-provincial transportation must use designated routes.” Additionally, the Yunshang Livestock Wholesale Market in Huaxi District, Guiyang City, has been closed.
A volunteer named Chen Ruixiang, who has been actively visiting pig farms and documenting the situation, expressed to reporters, “The African swine fever has spread to many places, such as Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Guangdong, and Xinjiang, almost all over the country.” He described witnessing many animals succumbing to the disease, with scenes that are heart-wrenching, “Most of them have died, and like the epidemic, pigs, cattle, and sheep are all taken away for disposal, buried on the mountains.”
Chen, currently in Hunan, has firsthand witnessed the plight of breeders in the region. He remarked, “Since there is no specific drug for this FMD, breeders are suffering heavy losses, with millions or tens of thousands at stake. It’s a massive outbreak.”
He mentioned that breeding facilities across the country have been thoroughly disinfected, and some farms have been directly closed off, with personnel in contact with animals strictly forbidden from going out. The stringent control measures have even extended to interpersonal interactions, as he stated, “When I arrived at a pig farm in Hunan and then went to Jiangxi, they didn’t let me in because they knew I had been to Hunan.”
Furthermore, among the affected breeders, those with insurance can receive partial compensation, while those without insurance have to bear the entire loss themselves. Chen and his team continue to document and assist breeders across different areas, aiming to provide some help amidst the crisis. He emphasized the importance for consumers to buy pork from reputable sources, cautioning against purchasing randomly.
According to reports from NTD Television, the affected areas now extend to at least 12 provinces, including Xinjiang, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Shanxi, Ningxia, Hebei, Guizhou, and Anhui. Measures such as sealing off villages and roads have been widely implemented in these epidemic-stricken areas, with the transportation of cattle, sheep, and pigs between provinces prohibited, and cattle markets shut down in multiple regions.
Despite limited official information, videos and voices from the people provide an alternative perspective to the outside world. Various videos shared by locals from different regions display drastically changed scenes in the cattle markets within the epidemic areas.
“In every market, there is cattle piling up; many places don’t allow traffic to pass and have started sealing off—over 20,000 cattle.” A vendor from a northern market described the situation.
Another vendor mentioned, “Now, larger cattle like these are too cheap, cannot be sold at all. Xinjiang and Gansu have had a large number of FMD cases, it’s hard to transport them out.”
A cattle trader from Guizhou described the subdued market situation due to oversupply, “Since the Xinjiang markets are all sealed off and cannot receive cattle, there are fewer buyers now. If any bosses want to purchase cattle, you are welcome to come to Guizhou; the cattle on the market are mostly full.”
There are vendors revealing, “Today is April 7, almost no cattle were traded in the market. Due to the impact of the South African FMD, many places cannot come to pick up cattle, there are no transactions in the market… Prices have dropped by hundreds, and they are likely to decrease further.”
The compounded impact of the epidemic on top of existing market challenges has further plunged China’s entire animal husbandry industry into a deep crisis.
According to multiple media reports such as Securities Times and Chinese Fund News, the main contract of live pig futures in China dropped to a record low of 9,125 yuan per ton at one point, the lowest since its listing. In the spot market, the national average price of live pigs has generally fallen below 5 yuan per half-kilogram, with some regions nearing 4.5 yuan, the lowest level since June 2018.
The market has even seen situations where pork is priced at 1 to 2 yuan per half-kilogram, “cheaper than vegetables.” Pork buyers mentioned that the cost of raising pigs is approximately 6 yuan per half-kilogram, resulting in several hundred yuan loss per pig sold. With recent increases in feed prices, the losses will only deepen if the pigs are not sold.
The downward trend in prices has directly impacted breeding profits. Data from Shanglian showed that in March 2026, self-bred pigs had an average loss of around 257 yuan per head, while the loss for purchased piglets for fattening was close to 160 yuan per head, occasionally exceeding 400 yuan. The industry’s average total cost hovers between 13 to 14 yuan per kilogram, significantly affecting the operators financially.
The cattle industry faces similar challenges.
Mr. Wang, a live cattle trader in Hebei, mentioned that the SAT1 FMD has a high occurrence and fatality rate, with some areas completely blocked off. He shared a personal experience, saying, “I bought them for 13 yuan and only sold them for 12 yuan.”
Mr. Liu, a cattle breeder from Shanxi, lamented that March and April were crucial replenishment periods for the industry, but this year the severe FMD outbreak has deterred many breeders from going out to buy cattle. With cattle prices already hitting historic lows last year, and showing signs of recovery this year, the FMD has dealt a severe blow once again.
Currently, with the epidemic continuing to spread, numerous cattle markets in various regions have announced closures, including those in Xinjiang, Gansu, Zhangsanying, and Qihai Mountain. A large number of breeders find themselves trapped at home, facing an uncertain future.