According to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHI), Myanmar informed the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) of the ASF case on 15 August. This makes Myanmar the seventh country in the Asian region to have an African swine fever after China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, North Korea and Laos.
The OIE epidemic situation report states that the incident occurred in the pig farm in Shan State in the eastern part of the country. The case field was one field, with 15 hair diseases, 12 deaths, and 53 other culls. The site is located at the junction of Myanmar and Yunnan Province of China. It has been speculated that the cause was the introduction of live pigs, illegal smuggling of pigs and the use of food waste for feeding.
The Central Reconnaissance Center said that in view of Myanmar's proximity to mainland China and direct flights with China, the country had been identified as a high-risk area in February of this year, resulting in 100% inspection of luggage and hand luggage of inbound passengers by X-ray machine.
The country’s Strain Center urged domestic pig farmers to speed up the biosafety measures of pig farms as soon as possible to prevent the spread of the disease.
The incident has prompted authorities in Tawian to increase the fines for illegally importing pork products from Myanmar to NT$200,000.
A report earlier this month from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations revealed that nearly five million pigs in Asia have been culled over the past year due to ASF.
Global Meat News will be hosting a webinar on African Swine Fever and its impact on the international meat market on 29 October. To get involved, contact Aline Henderson on our commercial team aline.henderson@wrbm.com.