Cape Town – Pig farmers in George have been served quarantine notices following the detection of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Southern Cape.
The quarantine notice urges pig farmers and residents not to remove any pigs or pig products from the area to prevent further spreading of the disease.
Western Cape Agriculture MEC, Ivan Meyer urged pig farmers to practice good biosecurity measures to ensure animal health and safety.
"Farmers must practice good hygiene management practices on their farms to minimise the risk of disease introduction or spread of the disease through good biosecurity measures.
“I want to thank those affected farmers for minimising the possible negative impact on trade within the region and sensitising pig farmers in other parts of the Southern Cape. This will help to limit the spread of disease.
"My department will continue to monitor the situation. In addition, our State Veterinary Services will provide the necessary advisory services to prevent the further spread of the disease,” he said.
The Department’s Head of Veterinary Services, Dr Gininda Msiza, said the only avenue available to protect pigs was to establish a set of safety measures.
“Carcasses should be disposed of safely, pigs should be confined to prevent roaming and potentially the pick-up and spread of the disease. 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,” Msiza said.
Cape Times