December 30, 2019

No African swine fever in Bali, says island authorities

Bali authorities are tightening food safety procedures to make sure African swine fever (ASF) doesn't enter the island from infected north Sumatra, reported Seven News Australia.

Wayan Mardiana, head of Bali livestock and animal health agency confirmed there are no ASF cases in Bali. Bali's authorities said there are 10,000 swine farmers on the island, raising a total of 762,00 swine.

He said health authorities will prevent ASF from infecting swine on the island, with a task force setup to safeguard swine herds on Bali.

He added that Bali's swine farmers have been warned of a possible ASF infection on their herds, especially as farmers use leftover food from restaurants and hotels to feed their herd.

Leftover food infected with ASF could transmit the disease to swine.

The government of Bali has issued a letter to ban farmers from feeding swine herds with leftover food, especially food sourced from planes arriving from countries or regions which have reported a positive ASF outbreak.

The island's livestock agency will monitor all Bali swine farms, especially in 25 identified high risk areas.

All swine and pork products from Sumatra have been banned from export to other Indonesian states, which includes Bali. More than 30,000 swine have been culled since ASF was first discovered in north Sumatra.

-      Seven News Australia