- African swine fever (ASF) – a contagious deadly viral disease affecting pigs and wild boars – is rapidly spreading across East and Southeast Asia.

In the US beef market this week, price movements were mostly negative and trade of US beef contracts was sluggish. The market is hopeful that increaseddemand levels will provide support for the market and prevent prices from slipping further.

The Emerging Black Importers and Exporters South Africa (Ebiesa) has called on government to stop an application launched by the South African Poultry Association (Sapa) to increase import tariffs on chicken to 82%.

Soybean demand seems to be unusually strong in China despite the widespread culling of pigs due to swine fever, says Darin Friedrichs, senior Asia commodity analyst at INTL FCStone.

Price movements in the US beef market were mixed this week. Independence Day in the US resulted in increased levels of domestic demand. There is potential for the market to build from this point onwards as prices have been hovering at low levels lately.

My comments on the spreading of African Swine Fever in Asian countries have largely been on the market perspective – what the virus means for the global pork supply, consumer prices, etc.