BEIJING, July 18 (Reuters) - China must do everything possible to boost pig populations decimated by blue ear disease and pay more attention to fighting the sickness which has pushed up pork prices, a minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Blue ear disease, or Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, is an infectious disease that killed 18,000 of China's pigs in the first five months of 2007 and possibly as many as a million last year, officials have estimated.

"Veterinary departments must ... raise their sense of responsibility and urgency, earnestly give attention to it and take practical measures to do everything possible to raise pig production," Chinese Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said.

Live pig prices have been dropping as the disease spreads, causing pork prices conversely to rise, Sun told a work meeting, according to the Agriculture Ministry's Web site (www.agri.gov.cn).

"Production in main sales areas is dropping, farmers do not have the funds to re-stock, and re-stocking is going slowly," Sun said.

Soaring domestic pork prices have put pressure on national inflation levels and prompted Premier Wen Jiabao to visit a pig farm where he pledged to ensure meat for the poor of the pork-loving nation.

Part of the problem was a lack of attention to controlling the spread of disease, Sun said.

"On the animal disease prevention front, the main issue is that some local governments have not carried out policies very well," he added.

All outbreaks must be reported and pigs are banned from leaving outbreak areas, the minister reminded officials.

"Developing pig production and guaranteeing pork supply is the focal point for our work at the moment," Sun said.

The outbreak has contributed to national concern about substandard food following a series of scandals involving everything from milk powder to honey and dumplings.

Meat from pigs which have died of disease has been ending up on markets, the government warned last month.

The issue of product quality safety burst into the international spotlight after tainted additives exported from China contaminated pet food in North America and cough medicine in Panama.

But Ana Guevara, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Services with the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, told Reuters she did not expect the current worries to threaten overall Sino-U.S. trade ties.

"This is just a little glitch," she said on the sidelines of a forum in Beijing. "I mean, it will be worked out."

Taiwan meanwhile has rejected 3.6 tonnes of U.S. pork imports after detecting a prohibited growth-promoting drug, a Chinese-language local newspaper said on Wednesday.

Taiwan, which China regards as sovereign territory, appears to be boosting its customs inspections, with this latest rejection coming only days after the government confirmed it had turned back 9,000 tonnes of U.S. wheat that were found to have a residue from a prohibited pesticide. (Additional reporting by Zhou Xin)

AlertNet news is provided by