Department of Veterinary Services personnel euthanising a pig.
KOTA KINABALU: A viral audio message claiming that all pigs in Sandakan have African Swine Fever (ASF) is untrue.
The three messages among other things warned the listeners that almost 2,000 pigs in two farms in Mile 12 in Sandakan had died of the disease and advised them not to consume pork because it is dangerous and could be harmful to human health.
In a statement here on Sunday, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said only pigs in a small-scale commercial pig farm were infected with the disease, believed to be due to weak biosecurity.
“This commercial farm supplies pork for public consumption in Sandakan. It had about 450 heads and the population began to die on April 27. A total of 54 pigs died within six days, and the death toll has continued to this day.
“On April 29, the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) was notified of the deaths, and a thorough investigation was conducted, including the taking of samples from the farm.
“On May 2, PCR tests revealed that the samples were positive for ASF. The DVS investigation also found that the area is situated within a 5km radius of foci where ASF was detected among wild bearded pigs in March of this year,” he said.
Kitingan said the DVS suspected the farm had failed to improve its biosecurity measures, resulting in ASF infection among its pig population.
Sandakan was declared ASF outbreak area on March 23.
The DVS prohibited the pigs from being taken out of the farm immediately after being informed of the deaths by the farm owner on April 29, and all remaining pigs have successfully been destroyed as of Sunday.
Meanwhile, those who wish to transport live pigs from other commercial farms in Sandakan must first obtain a written permission from the DVS to do so.
Kitingan who is also the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, said the government would compensate owners whose pigs were culled for disease control purposes at a rate to be determined later.
“However, no compensation will be given if the pig died as a result of ASF before the culling exercise can be done,” he said.
Farmers in Sabah are reported to have lost RM400,000 as a result of the disease outbreak.
Kitigan also thanked farmers for their cooperation which he attributed to a recent dialogue held in Sandakan between the DVS and pig farm operators and pork sellers. During the dialogue, the DVS has emphasised the importance of stakeholders’ involvement in managing the ASF infection.
He also hoped that pig farm operators will continue to strengthen and enhance their farms’ biosecurity levels in order to combat ASF and prevent the disease from infecting their livestock.
“Despite this minor setback, the supply of local pigs remains secure, as the small farm contributed just four per cent of Sandakan’s pork supply and less than 0.004 per cent of Sabah’s pork requirements.
“Other pig farms in Sandakan and other areas of Sabah are free of ASF disease,” he said.
To date, the virus has been detected in 11 districts. Nine districts have been declared ASF outbreak areas with Nabawan being the most recent on May 5.
Kitingan assured consumers that pork sold in markets and pork retail outlets is safe to eat because all pigs are slaughtered in licensed abattoirs that are inspected on a regular basis.
Pigs in the State are not permitted to be slaughtered in an unlicensed abattoir.