HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has urged relevant ministries, sectors and localities at central levels to tighten control on trading, slaughtering and transporting pigs and pork products to prevent outbreaks of African swine fever.

The move followed a Government order to implement prompt measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

In an urgent message sent to relevant ministries and sectors, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường asked affected localities to ban all transport of pigs and pork products into and out of infected areas.

Pig breeding establishments in infected areas, which were granted valid animal disease safety certificates and wanted to transport pigs out of the infected areas, must have their animals’ samples tested by animal health agencies.

They would then be guided on the route to transport pigs out of infected areas, he said.

Cường required the infected localities to take samples of pigs and pork products for testing at transit locations, slaughtering houses and farms with sick pigs.

The infected localities were asked to set up temporary quarantines with veterinary forces, the market watchdog and police to control the transport of pigs and pork products around the clock.

Prompt preventive measures were needed for disease-free localities.

Localities must closely supervise the transport of pigs and pork products at international border gates, airports, ports, and main roads.  

Animal quarantine centres needed to be set up at key routes from the North to the South to prevent the spread of the disease. Infected pigs would be culled, while antiseptic substances will be sprayed on vehicles coming into and out of the infected areas to prevent possible disease outbreaks.

The ministry has assigned the Department of Animal Health to direct the veterinary sub-departments at localities to collect samples of pigs for testing.

 African swine fever found in Thanh Hoá Province

African swine fever was detected in central Thanh Hoá Province. At least 220 pigs have been culled.

Lưu Vũ Lâm, chairman of Yên Định District’s People’s Committee, said sick pigs were found at a farm in Định Long Commune on Saturday.

Tests revealed that the pigs were infected with African swine fever.

All pigs were culled and antiseptic was sprayed around the area.

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), African swine flu is a fatal infectious disease caused by a virus which spreads rapidly among pigs.

OIE estimates that since early 2017, as many as 20 countries have reported infections of African swine fever with more than one million pigs culled.

So far, the provinces of Thái Bình, Hưng Yên, Hải Phòng and Thanh Hoá have been infected with the disease. — VNS