Penang seals off pig farm, culls more than 1,000
GEORGE TOWN: The authorities have sealed off a pig farm in Seberang Prai Selatan after an African Swine Fever (ASF) case was detected at the farm.
More than 1,000 pigs at the farm are being culled and buried onsite.
The culling exercise is expected to be completed at the end of this week.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the matter is being undertaken by the state Veterinary Services Department.
"The entire farm has been sealed off. The pigs are being culled and buried onsite at the moment.
"We want to contain it and prevent it from spreading to other pig farms," he said today.
Chow said the Penang government has engaged and advised pig farmers in the state to take precautionary measures when an ASF outbreak hit other states about two months ago.
"Despite all the precautionary measures, it still happened, and we have recorded one ASF case in Seberang Prai Selatan.
"Several measures, such as stopping interstate transportation of pigs, have been undertaken by the state Veterinary Services Department since the ASF outbreak," he added.
In September last year, two commercial pig farms in the Kerian district in Perak were hit by ASF.
As of last year, there were 124 pig farms in Penang with 267,348 pigs.
There are a total of 64 farms in Seberang Prai Utara, Seberang Prai Selatan (52) and Seberang Prai Tengah (four).
The 52 farms in Seberang Prai Selatan have 139,795 pigs.
There are also four farms in the southwest district on the island.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, ASF has become a major crisis for the pork industry in recent years and is affecting several regions around the world.
It is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, and the mortality rate can reach 100 per cent.
It is, however, not a danger to human health, but it has a devastating impact on the pig population and the farming industry.
There is currently no effective vaccine against ASF.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/01/...-fever-detected
GEORGE TOWN: The authorities have sealed off a pig farm in Seberang Prai Selatan after an African Swine Fever (ASF) case was detected at the farm.
More than 1,000 pigs at the farm are being culled and buried onsite.
The culling exercise is expected to be completed at the end of this week.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the matter is being undertaken by the state Veterinary Services Department.
"The entire farm has been sealed off. The pigs are being culled and buried onsite at the moment.
"We want to contain it and prevent it from spreading to other pig farms," he said today.
Chow said the Penang government has engaged and advised pig farmers in the state to take precautionary measures when an ASF outbreak hit other states about two months ago.
"Despite all the precautionary measures, it still happened, and we have recorded one ASF case in Seberang Prai Selatan.
"Several measures, such as stopping interstate transportation of pigs, have been undertaken by the state Veterinary Services Department since the ASF outbreak," he added.
In September last year, two commercial pig farms in the Kerian district in Perak were hit by ASF.
As of last year, there were 124 pig farms in Penang with 267,348 pigs.
There are a total of 64 farms in Seberang Prai Utara, Seberang Prai Selatan (52) and Seberang Prai Tengah (four).
The 52 farms in Seberang Prai Selatan have 139,795 pigs.
There are also four farms in the southwest district on the island.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, ASF has become a major crisis for the pork industry in recent years and is affecting several regions around the world.
It is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, and the mortality rate can reach 100 per cent.
It is, however, not a danger to human health, but it has a devastating impact on the pig population and the farming industry.
There is currently no effective vaccine against ASF.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/01/...-fever-detected
