Stringent measures taken up to contain ASF V&AH director
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, October 17 2023:
Veterinary & Animal Husbandry director Dr Ng Ibotombi said that the directorate has been taking up stringent measures to control further spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) under the National Action Plan, 2020 for Control, Containment and Eradication of African Swine Fever after getting confirmation of the disease in five districts of the state.
He urged pig farmers to cooperate with the directorate in preventing aggravation of the situation.
Addressing a press meet at the directorate office near Sanjenthong, here on Tuesday, Dr Ng Ibotombi said that upon receiving information of pigs perishing after fever, the directorate visited affected farms, collected samples and sent the same to the North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Guwahati for confirmation.
The first sample was collected from the pig farm of All India Research Coordinated Project on Pig (AIR-CPP) located at Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal with the sample returning positive of ASF.
The sample was sent on October 12 and test result received on October 15.Consequently, several other samples were sent for testing and ASF was confirmed in five districts -Imphal West, Imphal East, Ukhrul, Bishnupur and Kakching.
As soon as the confirmation was received, rapid response teams formed by the home department were deployed and culling of pigs in 1 km radius of affected areas is being taken up.
In such situation, the statement of AIRCPP research coordinator reacting against the official notification of the pig farm in CAU as the epicentre is a clear case of misconception.
As per regulation of Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, a place from where such diseases is confirmed is declared as epicentre.
This does not mean that the disease spread from CAU, he said while urging the CAU authority and the general public not to misread the notification.
On the other hand, there are reports of some farmers disposing dead pigs in river and open spaces, he said and appealed to farmers for proper burial of dead pigs as specified under safety protocols to avert possible spread of the disease.
He urged farmers in the infected zone to cooperate with the rap id response teams in culling the pigs.
Farmers, whose pigs have been culled, will be compensated as per the rate fixed by the Central government, he assured.
Meanwhile, with confirmation of outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in pigs in Kakching, Moirang, Imphal East, Imphal West and Ukhrul districts, the district administrations of Imphal East and Bishnupur have imposed ban on sale of pork, feed and related items and movement of pigs (dead or alive) in the two districts with immediate effects.
In separate notifications, Bishnupur district magistrate Lourembam Bikram and Imphal East district additional magistrate Shamin Ahmad Shah informed that as containment measure, no pigs shall be moved from the place where it is kept within the controlled area while a ban has been imposed on sale of pigs, pork, feed and related items in the districts.
Further, Shamin Ahmad Shah informed that culling of pigs in the infected zone shall be done by officials of Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Department following proper protocols and all equipment/tools as well as vehicles used in the farms having pigs, either infected or suspected to be infected shall be restricted from movement without proper protocols.
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