January 25, 2022

Australia funds Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea's efforts to control ASF

Australia had provided Timor-Leste $180,000 and Papua New Guinea (PNG) an additional $205,000 in support of their battle to respond and recover from devastating African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks.

ASF was reported in Timor-Leste in September 2019. According to Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud, between ASF and severe flooding, Timor-Leste has lost more than 100,000 of its 420,000 pigs.

Timor-Leste will use funds to increase linkages between animal health extension officers and farmers and encourage the adoption of ASF-safe pig farming practices.

ASF has been in PNG since March 2020.

About 600,000 households in the PNG highlands rear nearly 1.8 million pigs, producing some 27,000 tonnes of pig meat annually.

PNG funds will maintain essential road checkpoints, deploy field teams to respond to ASF disease reports and reinforce biosecurity messaging among smallholder farmers.

The support is funded under the government's $58.6 million ASF biosecurity response package.

- Australian Government