The Wayanad district administration is preparing to cull pigs at a farm at Kattimoola, near Tavinhalm, in the district where two cases of African swine fever have been confirmed.
“We are planning to begin the operation on Sunday and are awaiting the arrival of two culling experts from Bengaluru. As many as 360 pigs in the farm will be culled with the assistance of a rapid response team,” District Collector A. Geetha said on Saturday.
“Officials of the Animal Husbandry, Police, and Revenue departments and an official of the civic body concerned are the other members of the team. Wayanad Subcollector R. Srelakshmi will coordinate them,” Ms. Geetha said.
“We expect the culling process to be completed in three to four days,” she said.
The disease was confirmed on Friday after samples of animals from two pig farms at Mananthavady and Kattimoola tested positive at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal.
Ms. Geetha declared one-kilometre radius of the disease-affected areas as “infect zones”. Pigs in the areas would be culled and the fodder kept for the animals would also be destroyed.
“Four more pig farms are functioning within one-kilometre radius at Kattimoola but the symptoms of the disease are yet to be confirmed. Appropriate decision would be taken after getting the test results,” she said.
Transportation of pigs and sale and supply of pork in the disease-affected areas were temporarily banned.
Two to ten-km areas would be declared surveillance zones and animals in the areas would be monitored. Compensation would be given to owners of the culled animals as per the guidelines of the Centre and the expenses would be borne by the Central and State governments equally.
A compensation of ₹2,200 would be given for a piglet below 15 kg, ₹5,800 for a pig between 15 and 40 kg, ₹8,400 for 40-70 kg, ₹12,000 for 70-100 kg; ₹15,000 for above 100 kg.
If feed was destroyed, farmers would get ₹22 for a kg. The carcasses would be scientifically destroy after culling.
A State-level control room has started functioning at the office of the Animal Diseases Control Project in Thiruvananthapuram to report suspected cases of the disease. It can be contacted on 0471 2732151.
