A “criminal gang” accused of selling fake vaccines to pig farmers has been arrested in China. It was supposed to cure African swine fever, a disease that has devastated the country’s pig population over the last two years.
The vaccine offered by the group was an out-of-date drug intended to treat a poultry disease according to this report by SCMP.
The group had removed the original label. They claimed it was a “trial vaccine” to cure African swine fever, according to the Legal Daily.
According to SCMP, a pig farmer in Sichuan bought the fake vaccine last year to protect his herd. However, more than 2000 of his pigs still died of African swine fever.
Furthermore, the police have arrested a group of seven suspects for selling the counterfeit vaccines to pig farmers. Overall, the group caused losses of over 18 million yuan (US$2.5 million), says the article.