PETALING JAYA: A total of 68,607 pigs down with African swine fever were culled as of March and the damages are estimated to reach RM1,159,458.30 based on the ex-farm price of RM16.90 per kilogram, said the Veterinary Services Department.

The government paid for the cost of pig culling in Penang, Perak, Melaka and Pahang to the tune of RM1,544,698.22.

In a written reply to Sin Chew Daily, the department said the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, through the department, had compensated the pig farmers whose farms were registered with the department.

“Currently, the department has compensated registered farms in Melaka and Perak while the process to compensate farmers in Penang and Johor is under way.”

Pigs in Melaka were the first to be infected with African swine fever last December, followed by Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Pahang, Johor and Penang.

So far, Selangor is the only unaffected state.

Without vaccine and drugs to treat African swine fever, the department has to carry out pig culling to stop the infection.

Transporting of pigs to other states has been stopped so that the infection will not spread to other states through vehicles or equipment.

The department said it had yet to determine the cause of the outbreak similar to those in China, Vietnam and Thailand.

The department advised the farmers to improve the hygiene in their farms and prohibit vehicles from entering the breeding zone.

Pig farmers have also been advised to adhere to strict preventive measures and report to the department immediately any suspected infection so that investigation and control measures could be put in place.

Farmers have also been urged to cooperate with the department in culling operations for which they will be duly compensated.

Cost of compensation for pig culling (and the number of animals culled since the outbreak) by state:

Perak: RM831,884.22 (19,192)
Penang: RM578,899 (26,542)
Melaka: RM88,476 (19,369)
Pahang: RM45,439 (1,352)
Johor (1,877)
Negeri Sembilan (275)
Total: RM1,544,698.22 (68,607)