October 5, 2010

Cambodian pig carcasses with blue ear disease torched

Pig carcasses in Cambodia's Kandal Province were burned after four pigs that were tested to have been infected with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), also known as blue-ear pig disease.

The burning of the carcasses took place on Saturday (Oct 2). The pigs were taken away by Muk Kampoul district police on September 22 from a trader who imported the pigs from Vietnam, according to the deputy director of the Department of Animal Health and Production at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Has Piseth.

"We tested four of the 49 pigs and found that they had blue-ear disease. We ordered officials and the police to burn the bodies to prevent the disease from infecting other pigs," Piseth said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen had placed a ban, on August 4, on the importation of pigs from Vietnam and Thailand so that there is no occurrence of the spread of PRRS.