Swine fever detected in over 3,000 hogs

IPOH: More than 3,000 pigs from three commercial farms in two Perak districts were found to have contracted the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus.

Perak Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industry Committee chairman Razman Zakaria said the virus was detected in a commercial pig farm in Hilir Perak on March 27 and two commercial farms in Batang Padang on April 4 through real-time polymerase chain reaction tests at the Veterinary Research Institute laboratory here.

“A quarantine notice under Section 18(3) of the Animals Act 1953 (Revised 2006)(Act 647) has been issued to the owners of the affected farms and they are not allowed to move the pigs and carcasses in and out of the infected areas.

“A total of six pig farms within a 5km radius from the affected farms have also been quarantined for further inspections and sampling,” he told a press conference yesterday.

He said all affected pigs were immediately disposed under Section 19 of the Animals Act 1953 (Revised 2006) to control the spread. To date, 990 pigs have been culled.

Razman added that monitoring, examinations and samplings of all pig farms in the two districts are being carried out.

“Commercial pig farmers are advised to enhance strict biosecurity controls in their respective farms,” he said.

Pig farmers and the public are required to report of wild boar, pig, or commercially-reared pig deaths to nearby district veterinary services office or Perak veterinary services office at 05-545 9111.

Perak Veterinary Services Department director Dr Ahmad Shafri Hassan said the ASF infection would not affect the supply of pork in the state as it only involved a small percentage of the total of 555,705 pigs in farms in several districts. – Bernama