BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday confirmed a new outbreak of African swine fever in the central province of Hubei.

The outbreak in the city of Honghu killed three pigs on a farm of 32 hogs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement on its website, as the highly contagious disease ravages the world’s largest hog herd.

China, the world’s biggest pork consumer, has reported more than 140 outbreaks of African swine fever since the first case in August last year.