African swine flu: 23 Penang pig farms hit


BATU KAWAN: To date, a total of 23 pig farms in Penang have been found to be affected by the African swine fever (ASF), said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He said as of Friday (Jan 27), a total of 7,998 pigs from six farms in Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) and Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS) have been culled after they were found to be ASF positive.

"So far, the breakdown on ASF affected farms is as follows, 17 farms in the SPS district involving 42,691 pigs, two farms in SPT (2,742 pigs) and in Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) four farms (7,842 pigs).

"All the pig carcasses were buried in the SPS area which are far from public settlements or at undeveloped locations, so as not to cause disturbance in the areas involved.

"We are also looking for a site in SPU to bury the culled animals," he told reporters after attending the Batu Kawan parliamentary constituency Chinese New Year open house here on Saturday (Jan 28).

Elaborating, Chow said the Penang Veterinary Services Department (JPV) with the help of the local authorities had been able to deal with the ASF issue, especially in relation to the disposal of the infected pigs at the allocated sites.

He said Penang JPV was also being assisted by two JPV teams from Putrajaya in carrying out all ASF- related tasks including sampling and disposal of the dead or infected livestock.

"Last week the ASF threat was stable. Although two farms were newly hit, we do not rule out the possibility that the outbreak will continue to increase," he said.

He said currently there were 124 pig farms in Penang with a total of 267,348 pigs.

"To date, 101 pig farms have not been hit with the ASF disease where 35 of the farms are in SPS with a total of 97,104 animals, 60 farms in SPU (100,600 animals), two farms in SPT (5,539 animals) and four farms in Barat Daya (10,830 animals)," he said.

"Once again, pig farmers and the public are reminded to immediately report any death relating to wild boars, village pigs or commercial pigs to the Penang JPV via Disease Crisis Management Room hotline at 04-5041047," he said. - Bernama

Article type: free
User access status:
Subscribe now to our Premium Plan for an ad-free and unlimited reading experience!

ASF , Pigs , Farms , Chow Kon Yeow ,  Culled ,

   

Next In Nation

Sabah govt backs two events by Chinese group
Two civil servants among seven suspects nabbed for alleged drug trafficking in Tawau
TAR Institute launches new electrical wiring specialisation programme
No increase in foreign workers despite change in application process, claim business groups
Nine Ramadan hawkers get RM100 compound notice each for flouting health rules in Sandakan
Amnesty International calls for moratorium on death penalty to be continued
Father drowns after rescuing his child from a sinking car in Putatan
Hellish house-party: Cops nab 11 at drug-fuelled bash in Seberang Perai
Jasin mom pining for missing 16-year-old daughter
Guan Eng files defamation suit against Muhyiddin

Others Also Read