• Piggeries seek one-off financial assistance or interest-free loans to get sties/pens up and running
• Industry emphasises quelling of public misconceptions 
• Vets insist on continuing authorities’ inspections and consumer vigilance 

The African swine fever spread in Sri Lanka during the past few months had a significant impact on the pig farming industry also leading to restrictions on the transport and sale of pork, and for the first time in recent memory, those who were in possession of pork faced the risk of arrest.

In the general society and on social media platforms, this situation was viewed mostly as an issue affecting pork consumers, when in reality, it caused widespread infections and deaths among pigs, leaving many farmers devastated. With the restrictions and advice issued by the authorities having seemed to have had some positive impact on the issue, the transport and sale of pork has since legally resumed. 

However, the production of pork continues to face challenges, while more attention to the related health risks and the necessary precautions are more important now than before.

‘African swine fever’ scare 

According to the authorities, around 50% of the pigs in the Western Province (WP) had died due to the African swine fever. The WP Department of Animal Production and Health had reported that the Gampaha District had recorded the highest number of pig deaths.

In this context, the authorities imposed restrictions, which included a provisional ban on the slaughter of pigs, and on the distribution, transport and sale of pork. The gazette notification in this regard, issued under the Animal Diseases Act, No. 59 of 1992, declared every Divisional Secretariat Division of the country to be an ‘infected’ area or an area ‘susceptible’ to the same. However, with the decline in African swine fever cases and the spread of the same, the department relaxed the previously imposed restrictions, and announced plans to issue new guidelines to allow for the transportation of healthy pigs. Under this decision, the department decided to permit the movement of non-infected animals, provided that they are accompanied by a health certificate from a licensed veterinarian. In addition, the department was quoted as saying that pigs can be slaughtered at registered slaughterhouses that are approved by the provincial offices of the department. An authorised officer will verify and certify the registration process.

The social media discussion about the spread of African swine fever showed signs of fear about a nationwide crisis, similar to a pandemic. While the issue was seen mostly as a challenge faced by pork consumers, it is notable that the challenges faced by the pig farming industry received significantly less attention.

“I really hope this is not the beginning of something like Covid-19. We just finished dealing with it,” one comment on the social media platform X read.

In response to a Facebook post on the authorities’ restrictions on the production and sale of pork, one person had commented: “It is good that the Government took speedy action. It is better to not eat pork for several days than to see another nationwide crisis. Pork eaters, be patient for a few days.”

Another Facebook post about the matter said: “There are many farms where more than one type of animal is raised. So, if you are eating other types of meat, there could still be a risk even if you stopped eating pork. I suggest that we stick to fish for a few weeks. No need to take a risk.”

Some social media users however suspected that the fear surrounding the African swine fever could have been exaggerated by various parties with political motives in order to benefit at the General/Parliamentary Election by tarnishing the present Government’s ability to ensure health and safety.

Potential future challenges

Speaking to The Daily Morning, several businessmen running pig farms expressed concerns about the impacts of the African swine fever on their businesses and the pork market. They noted that while assisting pig farm owners to deal with the impacts or potential medium- to long-term impacts of the disease, the authorities must raise awareness among the public so as to combat misconceptions and to avoid unnecessary fears about the consumption of pork.

“When I heard about this disease, I was about to expand my business (pig farm), and buying more pigs was the first thing I was going to do. Now, with the African swine fever, I will have to wait for some time. I am going to study how the African swine fever situation and the market for pork evolve, and what the authorities’ and consumers’ response to the situation is,” a pig farm owner from Colombo said.

Another business owner from the Chilaw area added that the African swine fever killed close to 30 pigs at his farm, and that he does not have any pigs now and will have to start from scratch. He added: “The business just started to get back on its feet after the economic decline two years ago. It is not easy to run a pig farm in a country like Sri Lanka where pork is not a type of meat that a lot of people consume. I lost around 27 pigs due to this disease. As a small-scale businessman, this is an unbearable loss to me. Now, not only do I have to spend a lot of money to buy more pigs, I may have to wait for a few weeks before I resume my business. We don’t know what will happen (to the industry), and therefore, I think that waiting until this threat subsides is better than immediately investing again in the business. I cannot afford to lose more money.”

Meanwhile, several pig farm owners from the Colombo, Galle, and Gampaha Districts urged the relevant authorities to provide financial assistance to those who were affected by the African swine fever. They noted that while the recently relaxed restrictions had a considerable adverse impact on them and that more restrictions may have to be imposed in the foreseeable future, they said that if the Government could provide them financial assistance, at least interest-free loans, that would help revive the industry.

“Some pig farm owners lost all their pigs, which means that they lost their entire investment in that herd of pigs. Without earning from one herd, it is impossible to buy more pigs, which in turn brings the business to a halt. Considering this a special circumstance, the Government should consider providing us with one-time assistance,” one pig farm owner said.

Risks and precautions 

Meanwhile, the State Veterinary Surgeons’ Association’s President Dr. Sisira Piyasiri, stressed that despite the fact that the aforementioned restrictions have been relaxed, it is important to continue to be vigilant, as swine fever-related risks have not completely subsided yet. “It is not easy to completely wipe out a viral disease. The restrictions were relaxed because they were affecting the (pig farm) industry, especially in a context where some pig farms had not been affected by the disease. However, this relaxation of restrictions does not necessarily mean that the disease has completely subsided,” he explained to The Daily Morning, noting that the relevant precautions should continue to be adhered to. Dr. Piyasiri added that the relevant checks, including post-mortem and ante-mortem inspections, must be mandatorily conducted, and that the related services should be further developed. While the African swine fever cannot transmit to humans, Dr. Piyasiri said that it is still advisable that consumers be more cautious. With regard to the precautions that can be employed, he advised that consumers should always check whether the meat that they are purchasing had received the relevant standard and health-related certifications and should try as much as possible to purchase meat from certified sellers.

According to the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the pathogen is very stable and can remain infectious in food over several months, and if unheated food or food scraps from infected animals are fed to non-infected animals, the virus can therefore spread. Other international experts also note that the virus can survive on and spread via various surfaces such as clothes. The BfR advised: “Although the African swine fever virus does not pose a hazard or a risk to humans, the meat of domestic pigs and wild boar should always be prepared under hygienic conditions, just like all other raw meats, as it can also contain other pathogens. It should be kept refrigerated and prepared separately from other foods before cooking. When heating, a core temperature of 70 degrees Celsius or higher should be reached in the meat for at least two minutes.”

The precautions that should be followed by pig farms include employing strict biosecurity measures, ensuring that that pigs are not in contact with other animals (both domestic and wild) that may carry the virus, quarantining incoming pigs, conducting the relevant health checks, ensuring the proper supply of water, food, supplements, and medicines for pigs, regular monitoring for symptoms of the disease, proper waste disposal, and having emergency plans and contingency measures.