The Federal Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has commenced a National Control of African Swine Fever baseline survey across all pig producing states in the country.
This will assist the department to determine the actual status of the disease as an evidence-based planning tool. In this wise, a baseline survey that is prevalence study in four select pig producing states of Lagos, Anambra, Imo and Kaduna to conduct as well as sensitise pig farmers on basic disease prevention and control that would increase the productivity, production and profitability of pig farming business.
A statement from the Animal Health & Clinical Services, Federal Department of Veterinary & Pest Control Services, said states that the survey will help to determine the zero-prevalence of African Swine Fever in the four selected states of Anambra, Imo, Kaduna and Lagos states and to assess on-farm husbandry methods and biosecurity standards in our pig farms and make recommendations on how to prevent the disease in Nigeria.
“Pigs play a major role in the socio-economic life of the people of Nigeria. They not only serve as a source of income especially for the rural populace but also fulfill an important role in culture and food security. A substantial portion of the country’s pig population is resident in key pig producing, consuming and marketing areas of the country including the following states, Anambra, Benue, Delta, Edo, FCT, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Lagos, Ogun, Plateau and Rivers.
“African Swine Fever (ASF) has had significant economic and social impact in Nigeria since 1997 following its index occurrence in our country that year. In response to the ASF outbreaks of 1997, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) intervened through the implementation of a joint 3-year Technical Cooperation Programme for the Control of the disease with the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN/FAO TCP on ASF). By the time the TCP closed in early 2000, ASF had been put under firm control in the Country; all that was needed was a mopping up exercise that would have totally eradicate the disease from Nigeria. Unfortunately this was not done leading to the progressive menace of the disease on the pig industry over the years.
“It is important that this narrative changes in order to protect the national pig industry resource. The starting point on this is to determine the actual status of the diseases as an evidence-based planning tool,” the statement reads.
It revealed further that since 2018, there has been an unprecedented wide spread upsurge in reported outbreaks of ASF across the world, especially in Asia namely China, Cambodia, Vietnam, North Korea, Lao DPR, Mongolia and has spread to European countries like Poland, Belgium and Hungary. Other countries that have reported ASF outbreaks include Italy, Bulgaria, Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Benin Republic, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Congo, Cote D’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Togo and South Africa. USA and United Kingdom are also being threatened by the disease.
