African Farmers’ Association of South Africa Robertson representative Willie Job said the outbreak, which hit a few weeks ago, first affected farmers in Nkqubela.
Cape Town - Scores of pigs belonging to small-scale farmers in Robertson have died from African Swine Fever (ASF), which is threatening livelihoods in the region.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that leads to mortalities in the piggery business. The main clinical signs of ASF in pigs are fever, loss of appetite, lack of energy and sudden death.
ASF affects both domestic and wild pigs. The disease, though harmless to humans, is highly transmissible between infected pigs and food made from infected pigs and can survive months in the environment.
African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (Afasa) Robertson representative Willie Job said the outbreak, which hit a few weeks ago, first affected farmers in Nkqubela where more than 90 pigs died on various farms before the farmers realised that it was ASF.
Job said: “The fever is out of control and the worst thing is that the farmers will receive no compensation for their dead animals as the state only compensates farmers if the state has had the animals killed.”
He said the farmers whose animals were already infected were staring at huge losses to their income.
The provincial Agriculture Department has been assisting farmers with quarantine measures and ASF awareness information sessions.
The department has urged farmers in affected areas to continue to dispose of carcasses responsibly and in line with the guidelines provided by State Veterinary Services and the municipalities.
This is the second major outbreak in the Western Cape this year and the third one since an outbreak was announced on two smallholdings in Mfuleni and Khayelitsha in February last year.
In January the department said ASF had been detected in Thembalethu, George and that the State Veterinary Services had served a quarantine notice on pig farmers in the area. ASF was also detected in KwaNonqaba outside Mossel Bay earlier that month.
At the time, provincial Veterinary Services head Dr Gininda Msiza, said: “Carcasses should be disposed of safely; pigs should be confined to prevent roaming and potentially the pick-up and spread of the disease.”
He said hands, shoes, clothing and equipment must be sanitised before and after contact with pigs, and meat products should be thoroughly cooked before being fed to pigs.
The South African Pork Producers Organisation and the Cape of Good Hope Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) both worked closely with the Agriculture Department to communicate and manage the disease.
The pig industry in the Western Cape is the second-largest producer in South Africa, with production growing at an average annual rate of 3.7% over the past 10 years.
The Western Cape contributes 21% of the total national herd of 3.3 million pigs, making it an important contributor for growth and jobs.