Lampang kills over 1,000 pigs in bid to stop virus from spreading
More than 1,000 pigs have been killed in Lampang province after it was announced on September 18 that there had been an outbreak of PRRS (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome) virus.
The Department of Livestock Development ordered the elimination in several subdistricts of Mae Tha district, said Sorn Theepatimakorn, head of Lampang Livestock Development Department, on Thursday (September 24).
“Currently the department has been able to prevent the outbreak from spreading out of the declared areas,” he said. “The total number of pigs being eliminated could be higher as officials are still collecting data from local farmers.”
Sorn urged farmers to inform department officials immediately if they find that their pigs had died of unknown causes so that officials can come in and take blood samples to determine the cause of death. “Pigs can die from other non-contagious diseases or diseases that have a cure, in which case farmers will not be forced to eliminate the rest of their pigs,” he added. “Our latest survey reveals that most of the affected farmers are small entrepreneurs with only 5-60 pigs in their barns.”
The department has restricted transportation of pigs to within a 5km radius from the outbreak’s epicenter, and also halted inter-provincial transportation of pigs. The elimination of pigs has been done by burying the carcasses in three-metre deep holes whereas the owner will be compensated at 75 per cent of the cost of the pigs if he chooses to have them eliminated by the department.
