China constructs 13-storey ‘hog hotels’ to keep pigs safe from viruses

China is taking a novel approach to biosecurity, with 13-storey “hog hotels” constructed to keep pigs free from germs. According to Bloomberg, a hotel in southern China is home to over 10,000 pigs which live in a condominium-style complex with security cameras, carefully prepared meals, veterinary services and restricted access. As pork is the main source of meat in China, the hotels aim to protect the pigs from viruses, including African Swine Flu, which had devastating effects when it wiped out half the nation’s hogs in the two years before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to reports, the giant vertical farms known as “hog hotels” are being built by companies, including Muyuan Foods and New Hope Group, copying the more rigorous controls used by other countries to prevent diseases among pigs. Rupert Claxton, the UK-based meat director at consultant Gira, said that with Beijing’s new approach, the biosecurity gap between China and the US and Europe was closing. Claxton explained that in 20 years, China has done what Americans took probably 100 years to do. 

It is worth noting that African swine fever affects pigs in a similar way to how Ebola. The last outbreak in China in 2018 reportedly saw 400 million pigs die which is more than the entire annual output of pigs in the US and Brazil combined - leading to rocketing prices and unprecedented imports. Following the African swine fever outbreak, new agriculture policies were then introduced in a bid to move pig farming away from backyard farms to larger-scale, industrial operations.

As a result, now hog numbers have rapidly accelerated, which has, in turn, led to a drop in pork prices. The Chinese authorities have also begun to purchase pork for state reserves, to help shore up the market. As of 2020, 75 per cent of the country’s pig production reportedly has come from farms supplying more than 500 hogs a year. Prior to the outbreak only around one per cent came from larger suppliers.

11 incidents of African swine flu reported in 2021

Still, the virus threat is ongoing; however, only 11 incidents reported so far in 2021. Back in July, China’s farm ministry said that this had resulted in the culling of more than 2,000 pigs. The emergence of new strains that appear to cause milder symptoms and have a longer incubation period are complicating efforts to detect and respond to outbreaks, the ministry added. Therefore, the “Hog Hotels” have systems in place to try and prevent outbreaks from occurring. 

The “hog hotels” include robots that monitor the animals for fever, filter the air, and automatically feed and disinfect. Strict protocols are also enforced to minimise risks of an outbreak which could spread rapidly within a “hog hotel” due to the high number of pigs living there. According to reports, staff are also made to shower and change their clothes when entering and exiting the facility. 

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