Action on the way

With the central government placing more emphasis on food safety and sustainable agriculture, local authorities and companies have taken steps to overcome their difficulties.

In Beijing, the authorities published a document in November 2019, pledging support for the pig farming industry, along with investment of 850 million yuan over three years to upgrade the city's pig farms.

Pinggu district, in the northeast of the capital, started to allocate land for the pig farming industry in 2019. Local authorities said departments such as agriculture, water affairs, greening, and land planning are working together to launch pig farming projects.

In April last year, work began in the district on a 183,000-square-meter production base for breeding pigs, with total investment of 247 million yuan. The base was put into operation in December.

With an annual output of 60,000 pigs, the base has adopted a low-carbon model for the research and development of new breeding animals, with help from several agricultural science institutions.

The initial construction phase for a smart pig farm owned by New Hope Group was recently completed in Pinggu. The farm will occupy 140,000 square meters and have an annual production capacity of 120,000 pigs－the largest in Beijing.

Construction of the second phase is due to be completed in the second half of this year and the farm is expected to have an annual output of 120,000 commercial pigs.

Liu, the New Hope Group chairman, said the farm is equipped with temperature-checking robots and systems for automatic feeding and disinfection.

"Disinfection increases safety for the pigs and helps to avoid outbreaks of African swine fever. The advanced equipment points the way forward for the smart agricultural industry," he said.

In exploring new technology and smart facilities to raise the quality and output of pigs this year, the company will focus on village development and breeding the animals, Liu added.

In early February, he suggested that China should introduce policies to subsidize companies that have key pig breeding projects.

"The country needs to encourage these companies to take part in pig breeding research and related international cooperation," Liu said.

In Guangdong province, the authorities published a document recently, stating that they would step up protection of genetic animal and poultry resources, especially lean breeds of pigs.

In 2018, a 50 million yuan project was launched in Guangdong to protect local livestock and poultry. The project is expected to be completed in June.

In Hubei province, the country's first high-end pig breeding demonstration farm has been established. It will use clone technology to safeguard endangered breeds in certain areas.

Although the central government and companies have been working to ensure that the pig farming industry meets domestic demand, there have been suggestions that other improvements may be needed.

Shi, the agriculture and rural development specialist, said reducing food waste can play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture.

"In some developed cities, people are eating a lot of pork in their diets," she said. "We advocate less chemical fertilizer and less waste."