Udupi: African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in Kundapur taluk following the deaths of wild boars and a domesticated pig last month. The animal husbandry and veterinary services department subsequently closed a local pig farm and restricted the movement of live pigs and pork products to contain the spread of the disease.Further, the department has been monitoring 10km around the farm as a precautionary measure to prevent possible spread of ASF. The department also initiated containment measures in the area.Animal husbandry and veterinary sciences department deputy director Dr MC Reddappa said that restrictions have been imposed and the farm was ordered to shut down following a laboratory report. A laboratory report on the samples, which arrived on Friday, has confirmed the infection. In fact, the samples were collected from the carcasses of wild boars and a domestic pig that died in villages of Kundapur and Byndoor taluks. The department initiated the process of culling the remaining pigs in the farm to destroy them scientifically. As per a report received on Saturday, the farm has no pigs in it. However, the department has declared a 90-day surveillance programme on the farm premises, he said.In fact, two wild boars were found dead within Haklady gram panchayat limits. The department conducted the postmortems, and samples were sent for laboratory analysis. While the affected pig farm has been declared an infected zone, the owners of another nearby farm voluntarily shut down their operation to prevent the spread of disease. Furthermore, transporting pigs and pork products is prohibited within the 10km surveillance zone, the officer said.
