ASF scare hits Manipur: Pork sale, transport banned in Kakching

Imphal: The Manipur government on Thursday imposed a ban on the sale of pork, operation of meat and pig shops, and transportation of pigs outside the Kakching district headquarters following the spread of suspected African swine fever (ASF) among pigs in the Kakching municipal areas.

Rohit Anand, District Commissioner of Kakching, imposed the restrictions through an order under The Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, which came into force with immediate effect.

The Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Government of Manipur, has started an investigation into the case following reports that an unknown disease has infected many pigs and is spreading rapidly in parts of southern Manipur, including Phibou, Kakching, Ukhongsang, Kumbi, and Moirang Khunou.

Manipur Progressive Pig Farmers’ Association (MPPFA) publicity secretary L. Bishorjit said pig farmers have been selling their infected pigs instead of consulting experts or veterinarians about the disease.

He alleged that after slaughtering the infected pigs, pork vendors have been selling the uninfected portions of meat, while the infected parts are not being disposed of properly. As a result, the infected meat is often dragged to roads and rivers by dogs and cats.

Once the infected meat reaches the rivers, the water becomes contaminated, posing health hazards to people who use it, as well as to healthy pigs, Bishorjit said.

The government has been urged to conduct post-mortems on the carcasses of pigs that died from an unknown disease. Since no vaccine exists for ASF, the only effective preventive measure is strict biosecurity, which Bishorjit described as the best tool for controlling the disease.