Police told to enforce ban on import of pigs
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, April 19 2023:
Directorate of Veterinary & Animal Husbandry has asked SPs of Senapati, Jiribam, Tengnoupal and Kangpokpi districts to enforce the ban on transportation/import of pigs from other states and neighbouring country, Myanmar into Manipur In a letter dated April 12, V&AH Services director Ng Ibotombl Singh pointed out that African Swine Fever is a highly infectious and trans-boundary disease of pigs causing high morbidity and mortality (up to 100 per cent) having no treatment and vaccine so far for its prevention and control.
The disease causes huge economic loses in piggery sector and spread into India from neighbouring countries like China and Myanmar during 2020.Many NE states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur had the bitter experience of outbreak of the disease since 2020.Thousands of pigs died of the disease and many were culled and buried for control and containment of the disease, it added.
The Directorate mentioned that the disease has been confirmed in Meghalaya during March.
In view of the highly infectious and contagiousness of the disease and also the ingress of the disease in different parts of India in the recent past, the state government had issued a ban order on transportation of pigs from outside states as well as from Myanmar dated April 30, 2020 to prevent the spread of the disease in Manipur which is still in vogue.
However, at present, there have been reports of frequent transportation of pigs from outside through the NHs into Manipur against the existing ban order, the Directorate noted, adding that it has apprehension that there are high chances of recurrence of the disease in different parts of Manipur.
As such, it advised the police authorities to intervene and restrict inter-state transport of pigs through NHs as well as import of pigs from Myanmar at the earliest to order to stop further spread of the disease in pig population of the state.