Myanmar Livestock Federation (MLF) urged government to suspend importation of live pig and pork products in order to reduce losses of local pig breeders

THE Myanmar Livestock Federation (MLF) has asked the government to temporarily restrict the importation of live pig and pork products as a preventive measure against African Swine Fever (ASF) and to reduce losses of local pig breeders.
The request was made at the 31st regular meeting of entrepreneurs with the Private Sector Development Committee, led by Vice President U Myint Swe, which was held on 8 December at the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
At the meeting, Dr Mya Han, chair of the MLF, and U Aung Soe Min Kyaw, secretary of the Myanmar Pig Breeders Association, also forwarded requests for provision of technical and financial aid to local breeders, and grant of land permits, and sought help to establish a stable market and purchase purebred GGP-GP animals. They also urged the government to strictly clamp down on illegal imports of live pig and pork products through the border gates and international airports.
In August this year, ASF infection was reported in Mongla area of eastern Shan State, Myanmar, prompting neighboring countries China and Thailand to ban Myanmar’s pig and pork products.
ASF has been detected since August, 2018 in some northeastern provinces, central provinces, and eastern provinces of China, including Yunnan Province, which is adjacent to the Myanmar border. As per an announcement from China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the ASF outbreak started in Liaoning Province on 3 August, 2018 and spread to 32 provinces and counties within 10 months, with a total of 163 outbreaks registered. More than 1.1 million pigs were slaughtered to control the infection.
The Food and Agriculture Organization declared on 29 May that African Swine Flu had touched Menghai County in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture of the People’s Republic of China. The area borders Myanmar’s Mongla area. And, the FAO also declared that China’s neighbors Myanmar, Viet Nam, Laos, and Cambodia were the most at risk for ASF.
With high virulence forms of the virus, the ASF is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. The virus spreads easily between pigs through direct contact or indirectly from contact with contaminated objects. The biosecurity of pig farms plays a pivotal role in preventing an ASF outbreak. Preventive measures that need to be taken include spraying with acaricides at pig markets, avoiding feeding of leftover feedstuff to domestic pigs, systematic farming, purchasing only pedigree pigs, and carrying out separate farming of newly purchased pigs and existing pigs, according to the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation.
In addition, people must avoid consuming imported frozen pig and pork products such as bacon, ham, and sausage, according to officials. Hunting wild pigs and farming wild pigs with domestic pigs must be avoided, they said.
“On encountering any suspicious signs in pig farms, people need to immediately inform the nearest LBVD and the Myanmar Livestock Federation. They also need to cooperate with the related departments and organizations to carry out preventive measures and research on the disease,” the LBVD urged.
ASF cannot be transmitted to humans through contact with infected pigs or pork, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and FAO have officially announced. — GNLM (Translated by Ei Myat Mon)

(The Global New Light of Myanmar: https://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/mlf-asks-government-to-suspend-live-pig-pork-products-import/ )

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