BEIJING — Chinese authorities have stepped up support for hog production, reducing the number of zones where pig breeding is forbidden by unlawful measures, an official said on March 10.

The country's environmental and agricultural regulators have jointly urged local authorities to standardize the zoning and management of pig breeding. To date, the ban on 14,000 areas has been lifted, said Liu Zhiquan, an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

The supply of pork is closely related to people's food consumption. Actions of restricting hog breeding beyond the provisions of laws and regulations in the name of environmental protection should be firmly opposed, Liu said at a news conference.

A circular was jointly released by the environmental and agricultural regulators in November 2019, simplifying procedures of environmental impact assessment for large-scale pig husbandry projects.

The country will further accelerate environmental impact assessments for pig breeding companies while implementing supervision to ensure enterprises take necessary measures for environmental protection.

China has taken a string of measures to enhance hog production and will work to return hog production capacity to normal levels by the end of 2020.