Nearly 40 tons of pork derived from infected and dead pigs has been sold in Fujian province, China, over a period of three months, in a latest food safety incident to hit the country.
Two people have been detained for selling pork which was derived from ill and dead pigs to meat processors in Guangdong, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces since January.
The suspects had been appointed by a county government in Fujian to dispose the pigs killed by infectious diseases. These pigs were killed by a viral disease called pseudorabies, and blue-ear pig disease - a infectious porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.
In addition, the suspects had purchased dead pigs cheaply from local farmers and sold them to processors.
It is estimated that most of meat sold is already consumed by customers in restaurants in the three provinces.
The illegal trade was caught after police in Zhangzhou, Fujian, received information that sick pigs were being stored in a freezer in at Xiexin Frozen Foods. Officials who had searched the freezer found more than 25 tons of pork, which tested positive for two diseases.
Currently, the authorities are investigating how the pork was transported and the where the meat was sold. The authorities are taking steps to prevent further consumption of the diseased meat.
