SANDAKAN – The Sabah government has refuted the authenticity of several audio messages saying pigs here are not safe for consumption due to the African swine fever (ASF).
Deputy Chief Minister II and state Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan said there are ASF cases here, but they were found at a small-scale commercial pig farm and the situation is under control.
The viral audio messages have been circulating since Tuesday, and they were recorded in Hakka and Cantonese, warning people in Sandakan against buying pork for consumption as about 2,000 pigs have died from ASF.
“This commercial farm supplies pork for public consumption in Sandakan. It had about 450 pigs and some began to die on April 27. A total of 54 pigs died within six days, and the deaths have continued to this day.
“The pigs were believed to be infected due to weak biosecurity. On April 29, the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) investigated and found that the pigs were positive for ASF.
“DVS also found the area is within a 5km focal radius from where ASF was first detected among wild bearded pigs in March this year,” he said in a statement today.
Sandakan was declared an ASF outbreak area on March 23.
Jeffrey assured consumers that pork sold in markets and retail outlets is safe to eat because all pigs are slaughtered in licensed abattoirs, which are inspected on a regular basis.
He said that immediately after the deaths of pigs on April 29, DVS had prohibited the pigs from being taken off the farm. The remaining pigs have been culled as of today.
For the time being, pigs from other commercial farms in Sandakan are not allowed to be brought out of the district unless their farmers have written permission from DVS.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey said the government will 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 from ASF before the culling exercise was done.”
Farmers in Sabah are reported to have lost RM400,000 as a result of the outbreak.
Jeffrey thanked farmers for their cooperation, which he attributes to a recent dialogue held in Sandakan between DVS, pig farm operators and pork sellers.
He also hopes pig farm operators will continue to strengthen and enhance their farms’ biosecurity levels 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 only 4% of Sandakan’s pork supply and less than 0.004% of Sabah’s pork requirements.
“Other pig farms in Sandakan and other areas of Sabah are free of ASF,” he said.
To date, the virus has been detected in bearded pigs in 11 districts. Nine districts have been declared ASF outbreak areas, with Nabawan being the most recent one on May 5. – The Vibes, May 9, 2021
