China breeds giant pigs the size of polar bears as African swine fever causes pork shortage

Fat pigs are now big business after a mass cull of Chinese pigs in the wake of the epidemic sent pork prices surging by more than 70% this year.

If they weigh more than 1,100lbs, the pigs can sell for 10,000 yuan or £1,135 ($1,400), three times higher than region's monthly average disposable income.

Adult pigs can grow to a wide variety of sizes, typically weighing between 300 and 700lbs (317kg).

But Cong’s monster pigs are comparable in size to polar bears, which weigh around 775 to 1,200lbs (544kg) on average.

The biggest domestic pig on record was Big Bill from Jackson, Tennessee, which weighed 2,552lbs.

Big Bill had to be put down before it could travel to the Chicago World Fair in 1933 because it broke its leg from carrying all of its weight.

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