37 pigs die of heat stress during transportation in Jiangxi

Thirty-seven pigs died during transportation in Dayu county, Jiangxi province, after suffering stress reactions caused by high temperatures and environmental changes, local authorities said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement was issued after online posts on Wednesday evening raised concerns over suspected sick or dead pigs at Dayu Dongjin Food, a meat processing company.

The county's agriculture and rural affairs bureau, public security bureau, and other authorities launched an overnight investigation.

According to the statement, the company received 2,429 live pigs transported in 21 trucks from five companies on Wednesday. All the pigs were accompanied by animal quarantine certificates, and the investigation found no evidence that sick or dead pigs had been sent for slaughter at the source.

During transportation, however, some of the pigs suffered stress reactions due to high temperatures and environmental changes, resulting in the deaths of 37 animals, the statement said.

The carcasses were transferred to the Dayu Zhongkun Harmless Disposal Center for Livestock and Poultry in a closed-loop process and did not enter the market. Authorities said an inspection of the center found no violations.

The agriculture and rural affairs bureau said it would continue to examine previous operations by the Dayu Dongjin.

Under China's regulations on hog slaughtering and animal quarantine, pigs entering designated slaughterhouses are subject to quarantine requirements. Animals that die or fail to meet relevant requirements must be disposed of according to prescribed procedures.