Katni, Madhya Pradesh: In a recent outbreak of African Swine Fever in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district, as many as 115 pigs have got infected and 85 have died. A survey has been conducted in the affected area by the local administration. After the survey, they have decided to cull the infected pigs, and preparations for the same are going on. The government has also announced compensation for executing the culling process.
RK Singh, the deputy director of the veterinary department in the state said, “As of now, 85 pigs have died and 115 infected pigs have been identified. Survey work is going on to identify the infected pigs in the area. Two zones have been formed for the prevention of the disease. One is ‘Infected zone’ which revolves around the radius of one kilometre of the infected spot and the other is ‘Surveillance zone’ which covers the area in a radius of nine kilometres.”
He further said, “Four teams are engaged in conducting the survey in the area. The survey is likely to complete within two days. After that, we will kill the pigs in infected zones. Compensation will also be given to the owners of the pigs.”
A minimum compensation amount of Rs 2200 and a maximum amount of Rs 15,000 has been promised by the central government as the compensation amount for the culling of the infected pigs. However, the amount will be decided according to the weight of the pigs. A team of veterinary experts is expected to arrive at Katni from Jabalpur, who will look further into the survey and carry out the proceedings as required. The locals are worried about such outrage in the area. Apart from Madhya Pradesh, African Swine Fever has also affected pigs in other states including Assam, Kerala, Jharkhand, and Arunachal Pradesh among others.