Many Asian countries are making final preparations for Lunar New Year celebrations. In China, the Lunar New Year holiday will begin this Friday, January 24. Under the country’s traditional zodiac system, the next 12 months will be known as the Year of the Rat. Food is an important part of the yearly celebration, and pork, the meat from pigs, is central to many Lunar New Year meals. But this year could be different in China because of African swine fever virus, also known as African swine flu. The disease, which affects farm animals, has led to the loss of huge numbers of pigs on Chinese farms. Swine flu has affected the country’s meat industry in a big way. Official records released last week showed that pork production fell by 21 percent over the past year.
