Some Chinese pig producers are resorting to mass live burials as authorities struggle to control a deadly pig virus ravaging the world's biggest commercial herd.

WARNING: This story contains graphic images and content that some people may find confronting.

Key points: The African swine fever virus does not affect humans, but kills pigs

The African swine fever virus does not affect humans, but kills pigs A virulent strain has spread to more than 55 countries on three continents

A virulent strain has spread to more than 55 countries on three continents In China and Vietnam, more than 2 million pigs have been destroyed

African swine fever (ASF) does not affect humans, but can cause up to 100 per cent mortality in herds of wild and domestic pigs within a week.

Pigs mainly contract the virus through the consumption of contaminated pork products and feed.

A particularly virulent strain has spread to more than 55 countries on three continents, affecting more than 77 per cent of the world's swine population, according to veterinary scientists.

The spread has been driven by migrating wild populations and human movement of contaminated pork products that harbour the virus for as long as six months.

The chief veterinary officers of the World Organisation for Animal Health's (OIE) 182-member countries are meeting in Paris this week to focus on finding a vaccine.

As the international effort to find a vaccine mounts, Australian farmers and biosecurity authorities are preparing for the worst.

'The dead-pig pit'

Since February, Hebei Xinda Livestock Company has culled 20,000 pigs, 6,000 of which were buried alive. ( Supplied: Da Yu Enterprise Co )

African swine fever facts: The virus is a highly contagious disease that can affect domestic and wild pigs

The virus is a highly contagious disease that can affect domestic and wild pigs It is usually fatal in infected pigs

It is usually fatal in infected pigs There is no treatment or vaccine available

There is no treatment or vaccine available The most likely sources of infection are pork products, porcine genetic material and incursions by infected pigs Source: Australian Pork

One of the many companies devastated by the spread of the contagion through China's multi-billion-dollar pork industry is the Hebei Xinda Livestock Company.

The company's general manager, Li Sixu, said ASF was having a huge impact on China.

"It has completely destroyed China's pork industry," Ms Li said.

"We also sell livestock feed — sales are down by 80 per cent."

Ms Li has recently overseen the live burial of 6,000 pigs and disposal of a further 15,000 already struck down by the virus.

"In February, we realised pigs were dying at an alarming speed. First 200 a day, then 300, then 500," she said.

"We suspected it was African swine fever and after confirmation, we started burying pigs alive.

"Within two days, we buried around 20,000 pigs at the southern part of our farm — the dead-pig pit."

China's Government has reportedly promised to crackdown on illegal disposal of pigs amid protests from international animal welfare groups. ( Sourced: @amlivemon )

Ms Li described those days as "very sad".

"Lots of employees were crying with tears running down their faces. They raised the big pigs from [piglets]," she said.

Footage of what appears to be thousands of pigs writhing in mass graves has recently emerged on social media.

China's Government has reportedly promised to crackdown on the practice amid condemnation from international animal welfare groups.

The Australian Department of Agriculture's chief veterinary officer and president of the OIE, Mark Schipp, said the inhumane and illegal disposal of pigs was hampering containment efforts.

"[There are reports of] pig being buried alive, thrown into rivers, and being sold by farmers to try and recoup their income because they're not sure of getting compensation, and that continues to spread the disease even further," he said.

Underestimated epidemic

China is the world's biggest pork producer and raises about half the world's commercial pig population. ( ABC News: Brant Cumming )

Chinese officials have confirmed 129 ASF outbreaks and the destruction of about 1 million pigs.

However, Dr Schipp suspects the real figures in China are far greater.

"They've only reported official destruction of 1 million pigs, whereas Vietnam has destroyed over 1.2 million pigs and China is a far, far larger pork producer than Vietnam," Dr Schipp said.

World Organisation for Animal Health president Mark Schipp says there is an international effort to find a commercial vaccine. ( Supplied: Australian Department of Agriculture )

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (UN) said the speed and severity of the outbreaks could be worse than currently assumed.

The virus has spread to all of China's 31 provinces, and is now endemic, or entrenched in the pig populations of Tibet and Xinjiang Uygur.

International estimates expect China's ASF outbreak will reduce its pork production by 20–35 per cent, or as much as 200 million pigs.

There are growing fears the pandemic could reach Australia as it spreads through South East Asian nations, such as Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

"As we've seen in China and Vietnam in recent months, once the disease becomes established it becomes very difficult, if not impossible to eradicate," Dr Schipp said.

The biggest threat to Australia's biosecurity is overseas travellers flouting biosecurity measures at the border.

In the past six months, Australian authorities have confiscated 17 tonnes of pork products from air passengers and two tonnes in the mail.

During two rounds of testing at two Australian airports in December and January biosecurity authorities seized 46 pork products contaminated with ASF.

Dawson Bradford fears an outbreak of ASF is "inevitable". ( ABC Rural: Jon Daly )

Australian industry fears

If the virus reached Australian pigs Dr Schipp said pork export markets would shut down immediately.

"It would paint a very bleak picture for the Australian pork industry if even one farm became infected," he said.

"In the event a farm in Australia became infected, we would slaughter out the entire farm, decontaminate and disinfect that property, so it would be out of business for some months."

China has officially reported 129 outbreaks and the destruction of 1 million pigs. ( Supplied: Da Yu Enterprise Co. )

Dawson Bradford, president of the West Australian Pork Producers Association and a pig farmer near the WA town of Narrogin, said an incursion was inevitable.

"The Americans are talking about 'when they'll get it', not 'if they get it'," Mr Bradford said.

"You just hope we can keep it out as long as we can and hopefully there's a vaccine developed that will control it in time."

Spanish veterinary scientists recently claimed to have identified a vaccine for Europe's wild boar population, but Dr Schipp said a vaccine for domestic pigs was yet to be developed.

Meanwhile, Mr Bradford said some domestic pig producers were already vetting their biosecurity measures.

"A lot of farms will not allow any visitors on, and some have even gone to the point where ham for workers' lunches, and all pork products are not allowed on farm," he said.

Challenges and opportunities

Australia grain markets could be negatively affected by the spread of ASF, however, rising meat prices could benefit livestock producers. ( ABC Rural: Tom Edwards )

The UN's recently published report on global food markets noted the potential changes in production and consumption patterns as a result of China's ASF epidemic.

China is the world's biggest importer of soybean and because of this, Rabobank senior grains and oilseed analyst, Cheryl Kalisch Gordon, said first and foremost the oilseed market would be affected.

The market shift may also flow through to Australia's feed grain markets.

"Anything that takes away from demand on the feed grain consumption side of things will take away from demand for additional feed barley from Australia that might be exported through China," she said.

But if Australia can remain free of ASF, the decimation of Asia's pork supplies could bring opportunities.

Australian Pork Ltd chairman, David Lock, said ASF could take 20 million tonnes of pork off the world market and push up the price of all animal protein.

"Given there is insufficient production of pork in the world to fill the hole created by China's production, we'd expect to see other meats also start to fill that gap," Mr Lock said.

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China will also begin importing more pork from overseas and Australia is currently negotiating export protocols.

However, Mr Lock said Australia's comparatively small production would never match our major trading partner's growing demand.

"The opportunity for Australia is to gradually increase production and prices to fill gaps that other markets can't supply," he said.