NANCHANG — Eight officials from east China’s Jiangxi province were dismissed on Dec 28 at night for dereliction of duty in the sales of unsafe pork from dead or sick pigs, local authorities said.

A recent report by China Central Television said pork from dead and sick pigs from Gao’an city in Jiangxi were suspected to have entered the market in at least seven provinces with an annual sales revenue of more than 20 million yuan ($3.3 million).

The dismissed officials are from the municipal and Yangxu township animal husbandry and commerce authorities, according to the municipal government.

So far the Gao’an authorities have sealed a slaughterhouse, destroyed an illegal slaughtering site and detained 12 suspects.

A joint work team from the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Public Security have arrived in Gao’an to further investigate the case.

Gao’an is one of China’s major pork producers with more than 2 million pigs slaughtered and 1.1 million in livestock every year, according to media reports.

The swine industry has a three percent mortality rate from disease. An estimated 90,000 pigs die from disease in Gao’an annually. The dead pigs needs to be dealt with according to strict health standards.