KOTA KINABALU: The effects of African Swine Fever (ASF) and rising pork feed prices have been blamed for the dramatic fall in pork production in Sabah, leading prices to rise.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said as of March this year, the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) reported that the ASF had directly caused the deaths of 3,259 backyard pigs, 199 wild pigs and 5,534 commercial pigs.
“These figures do not include unreported cases of ASF infections," said Jeffrey who is also Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, in a statement, Sunday.
"Therefore, I urge owners of backyard pigs and commercial pigs to cooperate with the ministry by reporting any deaths that occur on their farms.
“The ministry also advises against selling or transporting live pigs, whether the pigs came from ASF-declared districts or not. All live pigs must be quarantined in situ."
Jeffrey added that culling processes must also adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) set by the DVS and the department must be notified for monitoring and recording purposes.
To compensate for the decreased availability of pork in the market, Jeffrey said the ministry has temporarily permitted the importation of pork from Denmark and France.