S Korea’s fifth ASF outbreak in 2025 unlikely to shake domestic pork market: trade

The African swine fever outbreak in the Yeoncheon county of Gyeonggi province, announced on Sept. 14, is unlikely to cause short-term volatility in South Korea's domestic pork prices, according to market players.

A Seoul-based trader said the limited price impact seen stems from the relatively small size of the affected herd.

"There are approximately 127,000 pigs in Yeoncheon, which is a small fraction of the over 11 million pigs in South Korea," the trader said.

Another local market participant said that "the government has reduced preventive culling measures," which may prevent drastic reductions in the supply of the pig herd and help stabilize prices for domestic pork in South Korea.

Average retail prices for domestic pork belly were last seen at Won 2,752 ($1.98) per 100 grams Sept. 14, according to data from South Korea's Livestock Quality Evaluation Service.

South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced late Sept. 14 that an ASF outbreak had been detected at a pig farm in Yeoncheon, marking the nation's fifth case this year and the second in Gyeonggi province within two months.

The affected farm was raising approximately 1,000 pigs.

This latest outbreak follows a previous case on July 16 in Paju, also in Gyeonggi, where ASF was detected at a farm housing 2,500 pigs.

The first two cases of ASF in South Korea this year were detected in January and March in Yangju, Gyeonggi province, on farms with 5,000 and 6,000 pigs, respectively.

"The latest case is indicative of ongoing biosecurity issues affecting South Korea as a whole," one source said. "Gyeonggi province is a key farming area, and its geographical features, including major mountains, facilitate the movement of wild boars that can spread the disease."

In response to the outbreak, the authorities have dispatched an epidemiological investigation team to the Yeoncheon farm and initiated culling of the herd.

A 48-hour standstill order has been imposed across Yeoncheon and five surrounding cities -- Paju, Dongducheon, Yangju, Pocheon, and Cheorwon -- suspending the movement of workers and vehicles at farms, slaughterhouses, and feed factories.

While ASF does not affect human health, its high mortality rate and the absence of a vaccine or treatment may be disruptive to swine supply.