China
pig deaths: Toll from Shanghai rivers nears 14,000
The
number of dead pigs discovered in Chinese rivers around Shanghai has
risen to almost 14,000, officials say.
BBC,
20
March, 2013
There
is no word from the authorities about the cause of the deaths.
Last
week, officials retrieved nearly 6,000 pig carcasses from the Huangpu
River network. They insisted that water from the river was safe.
Residents
have condemned the local government's failure to account for the
carcasses, which some believe have been dumped by farmers upstream.
Workers
have been pulling dead pigs from rivers that supply Shanghai with
drinking water for the past 11 days, sparking alarm on internet chat
sites.
Correspondents
say that the carcasses are embarrassing for the city's authorities,
who want Shanghai to be seen as an international financial centre.
The
scandal has also highlighted China's difficulties with food safety as
pork is one of the country's most popular meats.
Outrage
Farmers
in the Jiaxing area of Zhejiang province, upstream from Shanghai,
have denied dumping the pigs in rivers.
The
pigs have washed ashore along the river
Improperly
disposed of animals that have died from disease can often end up in
China's food supply, experts say, despite laws against such
practices.
So
far, the general mood in the affected areas has been of concern
rather than outrage or panic.
The
Chinese public has seen food scandals before, such as the use of oil
scraped from drains for cooking, and baby formula contaminated with
chemicals.
Laboratory
tests have identified that some of the pigs had porcine circovirus, a
common disease that affects pigs but not humans.
Jiaxing
officials have said that the pigs may have fallen victim to the cold
weather.
The
scandal comes amid growing concerns about China's environment,
including recent record smog levels in Beijing, and water and air
pollution affecting villages.
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