KUCHING, March 11: Some 585 commercial pigs in Miri have been slaughtered and disposed of in the two-day integrated operation from March 9 to 10.
Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi said the operation was carried out following the detection of African Swine Fever (ASF) in two licensed commercial pig farms.
He said farm sanitisation works were also carried out to ensure effective control of the epidemic.
The operation involved cooperation from various agencies such as Miri Resident Office, Miri District Office, Miri City Council (MCC), Miri Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Miri Branch, Miri District Police Headquarters, Miri General Operations Force, Bintulu and Miri Public Works Department (JKR), and Miri Veterinary Services Department.
Meanwhile, Dr Rundi called on the public to seek out the right information channels should they have any questions regarding the ASF outbreak.
“The latest information can be obtained from the official website of the Sarawak Veterinary Services Department (DVSS) or the public can contact any of the nearest Veterinary Services Office.
“Avoid spreading videos or short messages whose authenticity cannot be verified as this will only cause anxiety among the community,” he said in a statement today.
He also reminded that ASF is a disease that only affects pigs and is not zoonotic – meaning it cannot spread to humans.
DVSS added that it was always proactive in surveillance work to monitor this disease to ensure quality assurance on the supply of pork available in the market is safe for consumption. — DayakDaily
