Xinhua State News Agency of China reported May 1 that China has ordered pork processors and pig dealers to obtain certificates confirming that their products are free from African swine fever.

“Producers and dealers should check all pork products for the presence of swine fever virus,” Xinhua reports citing a government notice.

It is not yet clear who will conduct testing or issue certificates, but the notification was jointly issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The order comes into force on Wednesday May 1, and violators face "severe" punishment. According to the report, additional inspections of markets, merchants and restaurants should also be carried out.

African swine fever kills almost all infected pigs, although it does not harm people and so far there is no vaccine or treatment for this disease.

According to official data released last month, due to African swine fever, pork production in China in the first quarter of 2019 decreased by 5.2 percent compared to a year earlier.