KUCHING: The state Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Ministry today assured the public that there is sufficient supply of fresh pork for the coming Chinese New Year.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, said the major pork production areas, namely Kuching, Samarahan and Serian, from which 80 per cent of the state pork supply comes, were still free from African swine fever (ASF).
He said the Sarawak Veterinary Services Department (DVS) had tightened movement control of live pigs to the other divisions with additional standard operating procedures (SOP).
He said movement permits would only be issued to licensed pig farms that had farm codes and Veterinary Health certificates, adding that all conveyance would be disinfected after delivery of each and every consignment.
"Pigs will be marked with their farm code or ear tag for traceability and pigs can only be slaughtered at the local council abattoirs or DVS-licenced abattoir.
"I would like to assure the public that the pigs in the market were slaughtered at the council abattoirs and are safe for human consumption," he said in a statement today.
Rundi said DVS would also strengthen and impose better biosecurity measures to prevent ASF from gaining a foothold in the southern region pig production area.
He reminded pig farmers to step up their farm biosecurity and to report of any abnormality in their pig herds to the nearest veterinary office.
On Jan 10, Sarawak confirmed that ASF was detected in three backyard pig farms in Durin, Sibu division.
Currently, there is no treatment or vaccines available to treat or control ASF, which is highly virulent and contagious but not harmful to humans and is not a zoonotic disease.
Any farm infected with ASF will be sealed, quarantined and all the pigs inside the farm will be culled, the farm depopulated and the carcasses disposed of by burial on site.
