China will allow large pig farms and pedigree farms to test for African swine fever to help early detection of the disease, lifting its own ban on testing by commercial firms.

On April 16, the Ministry of Agriculture requested local livestock services to encourage large-scale farmers to purchase kits for the testing of the deadly virus that spread throughout the country.

At this step, China has forced the need to combat an epidemic that, according to some analysts, could lead to the death or culling of up to 200 million pigs this year, which, in turn, will lead to a huge shortage of pork in the world's largest producer.

Earlier, Beijing demanded testing by government authorities after identifying signs of the disease, and test kits were not legally available in the market.

Such a decision, according to the Chinese authorities, will help in "early detection, early warning and early treatment" of African swine fever, reducing the risk of its spread during the transportation, slaughter and processing of infected pigs. "

A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture states that test kits must be approved by the Ministry or the China Animal Disease Control Center. Authorities should provide funding to farmers for testing, and local livestock departments should help with technical services.