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African swine fever breaks out in Manipur farm
Officials said that the investigation is underway to establish the source of African swine fever (ASF) in Manipur.
IMPHAL: The contagious African swine fever (ASF) has been detected at a piggery farm in Manipur’s Kamjong district, officials said on Thursday.
The ASF outbreak was confirmed amongst the pigs in Dang Farming located under Grihang village in Manipur’s Kamjong district after laboratory test reports, which were sent outside the state, were received on May 30, a senior official of the state veterinary and animal husbandry department said.
“The investigation is underway to establish the source of the disease,” the official added.
Following the report, the deputy commissioner of Kamjong district declared 1 km radius around Dang farming, Grihang village, as the “infected zone”, and 10 km radius from the infected premises as “surveillance zone.”
The DC in a notification on June 1 ordered that no live pig, pig feed, pork or pork products will be allowed to be taken out of or brought into the zone.
“No carrier of goods or animals will carry any animals from or out of the infected zone. No person is allowed to take out any pig alive or dead which is infected or suspected to be infected with ASF,” the notification of the DC said.
At the same time, no person, organisation or institution shall hold any animal market or exhibition and carry on any activity which involves grouping or gathering of pigs within the zone, it added.
Meanwhile the district veterinary office has also formed Rapid Response Teams consisting of officers and staff “to effectively combat any eventuality in connection with control, containment and eradication of the disease and prevent further spread.”
In another development, Dr Gideon Shadang, who is the owner of Dang Farming of Grihang village, when contacted on phone claimed that nearly 80 pigs of Hampshire and Yorkshire breed, which he procured from different agencies including the Central Agricultural University in the state, were culled at his farm, which is located about 4 km away from the village after his pigs were infected with the disease in the last few days.
The remaining pigs -10 local and 2 non-local breeds, will also be culled, said Dr Gideon, a teacher-turned entrepreneur.
ASF was detected earlier in Manipur in January last year. The neighbouring Mizoram had also witnessed detection of the infectious disease in the recent past.
