Something nasty this way comes.
Mar. 12th, 2013 01:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rose_catFrom today's Los Angeles Times.
Flotilla of pig carcasses heads for Shanghai
BY BARBARA DEMICK
BEIJING -- IN Shanghai, China's sparkling business capital, something unpleasant is drifting downstream.
Thousands of dead pigs have been found in the Huangpu River since last week. A report on the Chinese news portal Xinmin.cn said that 3,323 dead pigs had been found as of Sunday night.
Shanghai authorities said they believed the flotilla came from neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and that the animals had been dumped in the river after they died. More than 20,000 pigs are reported to have died since the beginning of the year in the city of Jiaxing, home to a pig breeding facility about 50 miles southwest of Shanghai at the upper reaches of the Huangpu River. Some of the pigs had ear tags identifying them as coming from Jiaxing.
According to environmentalists, it is illegal for farmers to dump dead animals in the river, but the practice remains common.
"This is obviously threatening the local water resources," said Ma Jun, a leading environmental expert. "Usually, we see dead livestock in the river during the flooding season, but this [sic] a different case and the numbers are large."
Shanghai has sent boats to collect the carcasses from the river in Songjiang, a neighborhood to the southwest, before they can drift into the city center.
Let's see Mike Rowe try this one.
The Shanghai Agricultural Commission said that at least one pig tested had died of porcine circovirus type 2, but that the virus did not present a risk to human health or threaten the drinking water.
But the incident adds to the pressure on Chinese authorities, who are facing criticism over their failure to rein in environmental abuses. On the microblogs, Shanghai residents expressed skepticism.
"Ever since [I] saw the news about the dead pigs, I feel sick whenever I eat or drink," wrote Zhao Chu, a microblogger. "I feel so sad as a Chinese person."
Another suggested waggishly on a Sina.com microblog, "Perhaps these pigs committed suicide together because they were unhappy about the bad pollution."
And an update, from Associated Press, reported two hours ago at the ABC News blog.
China Pulls out 5,916 Pigs From Shanghai River
By DIDI TANG Associated Press
BEIJING March 12, 2013 (AP)
The number of dead pigs found floating in a river flowing into Shanghai has reached nearly 6,000.
The Shanghai municipal government said in an online announcement that 5,916 swine carcasses had been retrieved from Huangpu River by 3 p.m. Tuesday, but added that municipal water remains safe.
The surge in the dumping of dead pigs, believed to be from pig farms in the upstream Jiaxing area in the neighboring Zhejiang province, has followed police campaigns to curb the illicit trade of pork products harvested from diseased pigs.
Shanghai authorities said the city has taken proper measures to safely dispose of the pig carcasses and that the city's water plants are stepping up efforts to disinfect public water and testing for six common swine viruses.
The Shanghai government reported no major swine epidemic, widespread pig deaths or dumping of pigs within the city boundaries of Shanghai.
The state-run China News news agency said Monday that Zhejiang province had reported no swine epidemic but that a provincial agriculture official blamed cold weather for the deaths of the pigs.
The official, who was identified only by his family name Gu, told China News that the practice of dumping dead pigs into rivers lingers among some pig farmers in the city of Jiaxing. "We are still introducing the practice of collecting dead pigs," Gu was quoted as saying.
Shanghai authorities have been pulling out the swollen and rotting pigs, some with their internal organs visible, since Friday, and revolting images of the carcasses in news reports and online blogs have raised public ire against local officials.
Beijing-based writer Li Mingsheng expressed shock when he learned of the latest number of dead pigs in Shanghai.
"This is not only an environmental issue but also a public moral problem," Li wrote. "What's been polluted is not only Shanghai's river water but also the spirit of our country people."
Please note: I've tried to fix the borked html several times. It appears that friggin' LJ got up on the wrong side of the bed again.
Flotilla of pig carcasses heads for Shanghai
BY BARBARA DEMICK
BEIJING -- IN Shanghai, China's sparkling business capital, something unpleasant is drifting downstream.
Thousands of dead pigs have been found in the Huangpu River since last week. A report on the Chinese news portal Xinmin.cn said that 3,323 dead pigs had been found as of Sunday night.
Shanghai authorities said they believed the flotilla came from neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and that the animals had been dumped in the river after they died. More than 20,000 pigs are reported to have died since the beginning of the year in the city of Jiaxing, home to a pig breeding facility about 50 miles southwest of Shanghai at the upper reaches of the Huangpu River. Some of the pigs had ear tags identifying them as coming from Jiaxing.
According to environmentalists, it is illegal for farmers to dump dead animals in the river, but the practice remains common.
"This is obviously threatening the local water resources," said Ma Jun, a leading environmental expert. "Usually, we see dead livestock in the river during the flooding season, but this [sic] a different case and the numbers are large."
Shanghai has sent boats to collect the carcasses from the river in Songjiang, a neighborhood to the southwest, before they can drift into the city center.
The Shanghai Agricultural Commission said that at least one pig tested had died of porcine circovirus type 2, but that the virus did not present a risk to human health or threaten the drinking water.
But the incident adds to the pressure on Chinese authorities, who are facing criticism over their failure to rein in environmental abuses. On the microblogs, Shanghai residents expressed skepticism.
"Ever since [I] saw the news about the dead pigs, I feel sick whenever I eat or drink," wrote Zhao Chu, a microblogger. "I feel so sad as a Chinese person."
Another suggested waggishly on a Sina.com microblog, "Perhaps these pigs committed suicide together because they were unhappy about the bad pollution."
And an update, from Associated Press, reported two hours ago at the ABC News blog.
China Pulls out 5,916 Pigs From Shanghai River
By DIDI TANG Associated Press
BEIJING March 12, 2013 (AP)
The number of dead pigs found floating in a river flowing into Shanghai has reached nearly 6,000.
The Shanghai municipal government said in an online announcement that 5,916 swine carcasses had been retrieved from Huangpu River by 3 p.m. Tuesday, but added that municipal water remains safe.
The surge in the dumping of dead pigs, believed to be from pig farms in the upstream Jiaxing area in the neighboring Zhejiang province, has followed police campaigns to curb the illicit trade of pork products harvested from diseased pigs.
Shanghai authorities said the city has taken proper measures to safely dispose of the pig carcasses and that the city's water plants are stepping up efforts to disinfect public water and testing for six common swine viruses.
The Shanghai government reported no major swine epidemic, widespread pig deaths or dumping of pigs within the city boundaries of Shanghai.
The state-run China News news agency said Monday that Zhejiang province had reported no swine epidemic but that a provincial agriculture official blamed cold weather for the deaths of the pigs.
The official, who was identified only by his family name Gu, told China News that the practice of dumping dead pigs into rivers lingers among some pig farmers in the city of Jiaxing. "We are still introducing the practice of collecting dead pigs," Gu was quoted as saying.
Shanghai authorities have been pulling out the swollen and rotting pigs, some with their internal organs visible, since Friday, and revolting images of the carcasses in news reports and online blogs have raised public ire against local officials.
Beijing-based writer Li Mingsheng expressed shock when he learned of the latest number of dead pigs in Shanghai.
"This is not only an environmental issue but also a public moral problem," Li wrote. "What's been polluted is not only Shanghai's river water but also the spirit of our country people."
Please note: I've tried to fix the borked html several times. It appears that friggin' LJ got up on the wrong side of the bed again.
