KUCHING: Farmers, particularly pig farmers, have been cautioned that the African Swine Flu (ASF) is still lingering in Sarawak.
Modernisation of Agriculture and Regional Development Minister Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi Atom gave the reminder after it emerged that illegal dumping of pig carcasses had taken place in the Semenggok River 2.
“The Department of Veterinary Sarawak has been notified and they will look into it, not only here in Kuching, but also in Miri and other districts,” he said.
He added that assistance will be given to farmers suffering losses in terms of pig farming and also other farmers who are affected as well.
“It is quite a loss for some of them, whether it is from the industrial sector or commercial sector, so that is what we are trying to do,” he said after officiating at the Mini Convention of Innovative and Creative Circle (ICC) for the Ministry at Imperial Hotel here on Wednesday (Aug 24).
As action has been taken to remove the carcasses, he reminded farmers to be more wary of the challenges especially with the disease still being around.
“There is nothing much we can do because this virus came from our border, so all we can do at the moment is just prevent it from spreading to other parts of Sarawak,” he said.
Earlier, DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s special assistant, Michael Kong Feng Nian said on Tuesday (Aug 23), some 24 hours after receiving complaints about sacks being dumped into the Semenggok River, purportedly containing pig carcasses, another 30 more sacks had been dumped in the river.
He said they have visited the river on Wednesday (Aug 24) morning and that all the sacks were still there.
Towards this end he stressed that more must be done to contain the African Swine Fever.
Meanwhile in his speech at the event, Rundi hoped more agencies under the Ministry will get involved in the convention in the future.
He added that his Ministry will continue to develop and empower the fishing sector, most importantly with the establishment of the Sarawak Fisheries Department.
