 |
A veterinary staff member carries out a biopsy on a carcass at Thuan Loi slaughter-house in HCM City. The city has ordered closer monitoring of the way pigs are transported into the city to keep out blue-ear disease. —VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hai |
The chairman also called for increased awareness of the disease among pig farmers.
"All measures must be taken to ensure safe pork is available for Tet (the Lunar New Year) early next year and farmers and breeders have disease-free animals for breeding after the epidemic abates," he said.
According to a preliminary report by the city Division of Animal Health, inspectors in District 9 found and destroyed more than two tonnes of pig carcasses in Long Binh Ward. They had been brought in from Dong Nai Province's Trang Bom District.
In Binh Chanh District, authorities found and destroyed 2.1 tonnes of infected meat at an illegal food shop.
In districts 1, 2, 12, Binh Thanh and Thu Duc, animal quarantine stations seized and destroyed more than 5.3 tonnes of illegally transported pork and suckling pigs.
Phan Xuan Thao, head of the animal health division, said the transport of pigs with blue-ear disease into the city from other provinces had been rising since the end of July.
And, things are worsening in the city's neighbourhood. All samples taken from pigs transported from Tay Ninh Province tested positive for the disease. For Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, the number was 35 out of 50.
Nguyen Trung Tin, city People's Committee deputy chairman and head of a Standing Board for Animal Diseases Prevention, said the city also had to focus on ensuring the safety of its 30,000 pigs.
He ordered the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to work with provinces to prevent the illegal transport of pigs, and the Division of Animal Health to disinfect the city, especially breeding and slaughter sites.
He asked the State-owned Vissan Company to buy up all the stocks of pigs sold by farmers to ensure there would be adequate supply this year.
Van Duc Muoi, the company's general director, fearing an impending pork scarcity, said the company would carry out the city's orders.
So far 22 provinces and cities have reported outbreaks of blue-ear disease.
Van Dang Ky of the Department of Animal Health said Can Tho and Ben Tre Province were the two latest locations to report outbreaks.
The department has sought clearance from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to import 210,000 more vaccines from China for pigs.— VNS
No comments:
Post a Comment