SHILLONG: More than 10 pigs have died of classical swine fever (CSF) in parts of East Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi over a couple of months.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary GMRK Marak said four pigs died in Mawphlang villages between March and the last week of April. “The deaths were not at one go. When we enquired, the villagers told us that the animals died in different days. One pig died today (Tuesday) in Umran,” he said.
Six pigs also died at Zero Point in Umsning in these months and veterinary doctors visited the place after they received information from the BDO. There too, the deaths started from March and took place over a period of time.
According to a postmortem report from the veterinary laboratory, the cause of the death was CSF, which is not a zoonotic disease, which means it is not transmitted from animals to humans. “However, this will cause economic loss to farmers and people cannot eat pork for some time,” said Marak.
An agency report said the Khasi Jaintia Pig Association has decided to stop selling of pork for the next two weeks from May 6 in the eastern part of state.
“We have decided to suspend selling of pork after our meeting with the Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary on Monday on the reported African Swine Fever (in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh) and to prevent the outbreak of the diseases,” KJPA president Donlang Kharumnuid said.
Marak said there were several deaths since December but farmers are reporting them to respective district veterinary officers after awareness was created among them following the cases of African Swine Fever were reported from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
“Signs of high fever in pigs and any abnormal mortality of pigs should be brought to the notice of the District or Sub Divisional Animal Husbandry and Veterinary,” the department had stated in its order.
Earlier, the state government had imposed a ban on import of pork from outside the state, besides banning inter-district transportation of pigs.
The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department has asked all pig farms, private farms and pig farmers to take adequate measures for strict hygiene and bio-security such as disinfection of the farms, equipment and restricting entry of outsiders in pig farms.
Marak said the butchers’ association will not slaughter pigs for at least two weeks and “we have to ensure that the disease is completely gone”. “We are also investigating whether there has been any illegal transportation of pigs from Assam,” he added.
The veterinary department has already mobilised its rapid action teams to monitor the piggeries and it is also coordinating with local authorities like Dorbar Shnong to get more information about diseased pigs.
The government has a big piggery in Kyrdemkulai and demonstration farms in all but one district.
