Ekiti Tasks Pig Farmers on Biosecurity to Curb African Swine Fever

 

The Ekiti State Government has urged pig farmers and other stakeholders in the livestock value chain to intensify biosecurity measures to prevent the  spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the state.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade, made the call in a statement issued by the ministry in collaboration with the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) in Ado -Ekiti 

Boluwade described ASF as a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, noting that it could cause significant mortality, severe economic losses to farmers, and disruption of pig production and the wider livestock value chain.

He, however, reassured the public that ASF was not transmissible to humans and did not constitute a public health risk.

The commissioner urged pig farmers, processors, marketers and other stakeholders to restrict unnecessary movement of pigs, people and vehicles into and out of their farms.

He advised farmers to quarantine newly introduced pigs before integrating them into existing herds, and to regularly clean and disinfect pig pens, footwear, equipment, vehicles and other materials that come into contact with pigs.

"Farmers should prevent their pigs from coming into contact with stray or unknown pigs and avoid feeding them untreated kitchen waste, swill or pork products that may be contaminated with the ASF virus," he said.

Boluwade urged farmers to promptly report sudden illness, unusual mortality or unexplained deaths among pigs to the nearest veterinary authority, and to avoid selling, slaughtering or moving suspected infected pigs or carcasses until veterinary personnel had conducted the necessary assessment.

He said the state government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and L-PRES, remained committed to strengthening animal health surveillance, farmer awareness, disease prevention and resilient livestock production across the state.

The commissioner called on all stakeholders in the pig value chain to remain vigilant and adopt responsible biosecurity practices to protect their livestock and investments.

"Prevent African Swine Fever — protect your pigs, protect your investment," he said.