Farms in Gauteng, the North West and the Free State have been placed under precautionary quarantine after a new outbreak of African swine fever was detected on a farm in Gauteng.
The department of agriculture, land reform & rural development said the farm has been put under quarantine.
Provincial veterinary services have instituted forward and back-tracing investigations to identify properties that could have had direct or indirect contact with the affected farm.
“This outbreak of African swine fever on a farm with good biosecurity measures in place again illustrates the virus is highly contagious,” the department said.
“The source of the infection has not yet been identified, but it is believed the infection was already on the farm from mid-December.”
The Animal Diseases Act makes every animal keeper responsible for preventing the spread of disease from their animals or land to other properties.
All pig farmers and pig keepers are urged to only buy pigs directly from known healthy herds and prevent contact between their pigs and other pigs or wildlife.
Visitors should be discouraged from entering the area where pigs are kept. Anyone who has contact with pigs should wash their hands before and after handling the pigs, and before moving to other farms, should ensure they have showered and wear clean clothes, shoes and equipment.
TimesLIVE
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Pig farm alert: African swine fever detected in Gauteng
Image: 123RF/KADMY
Farms in Gauteng, the North West and the Free State have been placed under precautionary quarantine after a new outbreak of African swine fever was detected on a farm in Gauteng.
The department of agriculture, land reform & rural development said the farm has been put under quarantine.
Provincial veterinary services have instituted forward and back-tracing investigations to identify properties that could have had direct or indirect contact with the affected farm.
“This outbreak of African swine fever on a farm with good biosecurity measures in place again illustrates the virus is highly contagious,” the department said.
“The source of the infection has not yet been identified, but it is believed the infection was already on the farm from mid-December.”
The Animal Diseases Act makes every animal keeper responsible for preventing the spread of disease from their animals or land to other properties.
All pig farmers and pig keepers are urged to only buy pigs directly from known healthy herds and prevent contact between their pigs and other pigs or wildlife.
Visitors should be discouraged from entering the area where pigs are kept. Anyone who has contact with pigs should wash their hands before and after handling the pigs, and before moving to other farms, should ensure they have showered and wear clean clothes, shoes and equipment.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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