Chandigarh: Punjab Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Tuesday, informed that ‘Manjal Khurd’, the third area in district Patiala, has been notified as a containment zone for the prevention of ‘African Swine Fever’ (ASF).
He said that the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) -National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal has confirmed ASF in swine samples from this area. He directed the officials of the department to comply with the provisions of “The Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009” for effectively preventing, controlling, eradicating the scheduled disease-ASF. The Cabinet Minister further said that up to a kilometre, from the village declared the epicenter, is considered as “infected zones” while up to 10 KM area is classified “surveillance zone.”
He said that no live/dead pig (including feral or wild pigs), unprocessed pig meat, feed or any material/goods from the piggery farms or backyard piggery shall be taken out of or brought into the infected zone and no person shall bring or attempt to bring into the market any pig or pig products which is known to be infected with the scheduled disease.
Notably, the whole state of Punjab has already been declared as “Controlled Area” after ASF found in two areas namely ‘Bilaspur’ and ‘Sanauri Adda’ of district Patiala and the inter-state movement of any pig or its belongings has been strictly banned.