KUCHING: Sarawak Livestock Breeder’s Association expressed full support for the government’s decision and measures to ensure the state remains free from the African Swine Fever (ASF).
Its chairman Tsai Kian Shin noted that the state Veterinary Services Department (VSD) had held several sessions with stakeholders on creating awareness regarding ASF and regulatory measures to ensure the virus does not spread into the state.
Tsai lauded the department’s stern action in issuing compounds to importers of pork products for violating regulations on the import of such products.
He added that a recent ban on the import of live pigs and pork products from China and European countries due to the outbreak of the African Swine Fever (ASF) would not affect the local supply of pork.
“The state is self-sufficient as far as live pigs and pork are concerned. With 120 percent production, not only are we able to meet the local demand, the surplus of 20 percent are meant for export purposes,” he told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
He said that in the event Sarawak is affected with the ASF outbreak, farmers under the association have unanimously agreed for the affected areas to be quarantined and the pigs culled until it is free from the virus.
He urged the government to look into ways to accommodate affected farmers cover up their losses and also to ensure that affected meat would not enter the market.
“Normally those affected as the small stakeholders,” Tsai added.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said recently that it was the VSD’s responsibility to ensure the state continued to be free from the deadly disease, regarded a disease of economic importance.
He said of utmost importance was awareness of the people towards measures being taken to protect our pig population from the disease in order to ensure continued supply to consumers.
Sarawak has about 30,000 sow population producing about 402,000 porkers’ annually, worth about RM400 million.
Uggah noted that ASF has severely hit the pig production in China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, North and South Korea. Other countries affected by the disease in Eastern Europe — Belgium, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Latvia.
