China will auction 10,000 tonnes of reserve pork this week, the commerce ministry said, in a bid to control the fallout from an outbreak of African swine fever that has sent prices soaring and hit supplies of the meat ahead of a key holiday.

Beijing has been struggling to control the disease, which has ripped through its massive pig-farming industry, leading to the culling of more than a million of the animals.

In a statement published on its website Tuesday night, a state-owned company that handles the reserves said it would auction off imported frozen pork from countries including Denmark, Germany, France, the United States and Britain.

Only 300 tonnes will be sold to each bidder at the auction.

The decision comes ahead of a week-long national holiday and celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1.

Authorities are scrambling to contain the outbreak of African swine fever as the costs of the country's staple meat soar.

The price of pork in China jumped 46.7 percent on-year in August, official data showed last week -- prompting authorities to say they would dip into strategic meat reserves.

The number of pigs culled as a result of the outbreak is widely believed to be much higher than the 1.1 million officially reported, with government data showing China's pig herd totalled 347.6 million in the first half of the year, down 60 million from the same period last year.

Last week Beijing also said it would exempt high-profile US agricultural products including pork from added tariffs in its long-running trade war with Washington.

Meaty issue: Mock pork edges onto Southeast Asian plates
Bangkok (AFP) Sept 18, 2019 - A sprinkle of chili, some pinkish "pork" and a few basil leaves tossed into a sizzling wok -- chef Songpol swears his vegan version of punchy Thai favourite pad kra phao is a match for the original, as plant-based protein creeps onto Southeast Asia's meat-heavy menus.

"It has the texture, the flavour (of pork). The rest is about technique," he said in the bustling kitchen at the Bangkok You & Mee restaurant.

But he concedes some diners remain to be convinced of the merits of fiddling with old recipes in a country ferociously proud of its cuisine.

"They do not expect plant-based items to be cooked with Thai dishes," he added.

Global food producers are racing to dominate the "alt-protein" sector, an industry Barclay's bank estimates could be worth $140 billion in a decade, as environmental, ethical and health concerns drive a plant-based boom.

Shares of beef-less burger maker Beyond Meat soared from their initial pricing of $25 to over $65 on the first day of trading on Wall Street in May, whetting the appetites of both investors and consumers who shun animal products.

Burger King already sells the beef-free "Impossible Whopper" in many US locations, KFC has trialled vegan nuggets and wings, while plant-based milk, cheese and even seafood are proliferating.

But while the trend nibbles at the US' gargantuan meat industry, alt-protein protagonists are also eyeing new frontiers including in Asia where millions are nourished on meat and fish-heavy diets.

Pork in particular is ever-present in rice dishes and noodle bowls across the region.

Chef Songpol's pad kra phao is made with new brand Omnimeat, a pork imitation of peas, shiitake mushrooms, rice and soy from Hong Kong-based firm Green Monday.

"It is designed with Asian food in mind," said CEO David Yeung.

After Singapore -- where the brand launched in restaurants late last year -- Buddhist-majority Thailand has become a major Southeast Asian test bed for the mock pork.

But changing Asian palates and culinary habits "is extremely difficult", concedes Yeung.

- 'Thais love their meat' -

In the US the plant-based sector makes up less than one percent of the conventional meat industry.

Asia poses similar challenges, from ubiquitous meat use to higher prices of protein substitutes.

The pad kra phao at You & Mee costs about $8, four times more than a diner might pay on a Bangkok street.

Critics also say that many new plant-based products are still processed and therefore not as healthy as advertised.

But a 2018 survey from market research firm Mintel found over half of urban Thai consumers say they plan to reduce their meat intake.

In step, companies across the region are "starting to move into this area and attracting more serious investments", according to Michelle Teodoro, a food science and nutrition analyst at Mintel.

From Japan to the Philippines, firms are snapping up alt-protein producers in deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars -- while Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings recently invested in Perfect Day Foods, which makes cow-less ice cream.

At some restaurants in the Vietnamese capital a popular stew of snails and pork now uses soya beans to replace the animal protein, while diners can also chow down on sweet and sour "ribs", made from potato flour and bean paste.

But the jury is out on whether a critical mass of Southeast Asians will convert from meat.

One evening Thai kindergarten teacher Diane Piroon tried the meatless pad kra phao in Bangkok.

It "tastes like pork," she said, before dropping in a caveat: "Thais love their meat... the challenge is getting them to change what they grew up with."

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Paris, four other French cities ban use of pesticides
Paris (AFP) Sept 12, 2019
Paris and four other French cities on Thursday banned the use of synthetic pesticides within their boundaries, as an anti-chemicals movement that began in the countryside gains momentum. Lille in the north, Nantes in the west, Grenoble in the southeast and the central city of Clermont-Ferrand joined Paris in implementing the ban, citing the need to safeguard biodiversity and public health. The move is mainly symbolic given that the 2017 law already bans the use of synthetic pesticides in public ... read more