WATCH: African swine fever threatens French deli meats producers

African swine fever, a highly contagious virus, has spread to every province on the Chinese mainland since August last year, killing millions of animals and prompting China - the world’s biggest pork producer - to turn to imports earlier this year.

In France, pork prices have "risen by 30% since the start of the year due to China," said Jean-Paul Simier, an agricultural market analyst at French bank Credit Agricole who authored the meat section of the latest Cyclope annual report.

Home to nearly half of the world's pigs, China is both the world's largest consumer and producer of pork, which is a staple of its cuisine.