BEIJING -- China will step up the regulation of hog transport to further contain the spread of African swine fever, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said.

Starting on July 1, companies and individuals that transport hogs will be required to register their basic personal information with a mini-program on WeChat, which will be managed by the national animal disease control authorities, the ministry said in a statement released Friday.

The transport information of each hog will be linked with data on its respective quarantine certificate, allowing authorities to better track the animal and reduce the risk of spreading African swine fever, the ministry said.

China has been applying big data and other information technology to improve the efficiency of animal quarantine oversight. A separate statement by the agricultural ministry Friday encouraged local authorities to use information technology to control diseases at every stage, from the breeding to the slaughtering of animals.

Thanks to the strict control measures, the number of reported cases of African swine fever has been dwindling since late 2018, Han Changfu, minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, noted in May.