The African Swine Fever has had a large effect on pork production in China. Since August of 2018, the country has lost at least 85 million head of hogs and nearly 10 million sows according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China. This has led China to import far more pork than in recent years, including more than 1.8 million metric tons in the first five months of 2019. However, they are not turning to the United States for that supply. Only 8% of Chinese pork imports are coming from the U.S. according to the August edition of Ag Decision Maker, a monthly newsletter by Iowa University Extension and Outreach. Major beneficiaries of increase in Chinese demand since January of 2018 include Germany, Spain, France and the United Kingdom.

The reduction in hogs has also decreased the country’s demand for grain, stating that feed grain demand in China from January through May of 2019 is down by about 15% for soybeans and almost half for soy meal, compared to the same time a year ago. According to ISU Extension, due to the current trade war with China and trade agreements from the past, along with improvements in European transportation, the Chinese have chosen to purchase from markets in Europe.