Illustrative image (Source: Reuters) Bangkok (VNA) – The Thai government has decided to spend 148 million baht (4.7million USD) on precautionary measures to protect domestic pork business,though there has been no sign of the disease in the country.
Chiefof the Livestock Development Department Sorawit Thaneto said the department is working with other agencies to stay alert against theoutbreak of African swine fever, which has spread from Europe and Africa to threeAsian countries such as China, Mongolia and Vietnam.
Thai travellers to neighbouring countries arewarned against bringing processed pork like fermented pork and sausages backhome.
Police and livestock officials on June 8 raided ahouse in Bangkok where they found 558 frozen pigs weighing 1,400 kg in tworefrigerated rooms.
The seizure has sparked fears of the outbreak as the meat isbelieved to have been smuggled in from neighbouring countries.
The owner was arrested for failing to present documentsindicating the source of the pigs and proof that the meat had been inspected byofficials.
TheThai Ministry of Agriculture estimated that if the disease infects half of theswine population, the economic damage will total 32 billion baht (over 1 billionUSD). In the scenario of an 80 percentswine infection rate, the loss could double.
Thailand raises over 2 million pigs and exports nearly 40percent of them to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar each year.-VNA
Chiefof the Livestock Development Department Sorawit Thaneto said the department is working with other agencies to stay alert against theoutbreak of African swine fever, which has spread from Europe and Africa to threeAsian countries such as China, Mongolia and Vietnam.
Thai travellers to neighbouring countries arewarned against bringing processed pork like fermented pork and sausages backhome.
Police and livestock officials on June 8 raided ahouse in Bangkok where they found 558 frozen pigs weighing 1,400 kg in tworefrigerated rooms.
The seizure has sparked fears of the outbreak as the meat isbelieved to have been smuggled in from neighbouring countries.
The owner was arrested for failing to present documentsindicating the source of the pigs and proof that the meat had been inspected byofficials.
TheThai Ministry of Agriculture estimated that if the disease infects half of theswine population, the economic damage will total 32 billion baht (over 1 billionUSD). In the scenario of an 80 percentswine infection rate, the loss could double.
Thailand raises over 2 million pigs and exports nearly 40percent of them to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar each year.-VNA
VNA
