Leandra pig farmers now want compensation

LEANDRA – Informal small scale pig farmers want the government to compensate them after losing their pigs to what they suspect, is African swine flu.

Mr Vusi Kgabo lost 22 pigs and is now struggling because it is his only source of income.

He sells pigs every three months.

Ms Sophy Maseko lost 47 pigs and it is her only way to put bread on the table.

Her children’s schooling is dependent on the money she earns from farming with pigs.

“Now we are facing two challenges – the community who does not like the fact that we farm with the pigs within the township, and the loss of business,” said Mr Kgabo.

He and the other farmers who have lost pigs hope that the government will compensate them.

They asked the Govan Mbeki Municipality for a TLB to dig a big trench in which they could dump the carcasses of the dead animals and then to disinfect the area, but were told that GMM has limited resources and that they had to hire a TLB.

Veterinarians were summoned to the area and took blood samples according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Gert Sibande District.

Acting assistant director, Ms Busi Jele, said the department is disinfecting the area with lime, but cannot compensate affected farmers.

Ms Jele also said during a previous outbreak of African swine flu, the farmers were compensated because the department took live pigs.

“The situation here is different because the pigs are dying.

“We are helping with lime and make sure that the pig carcasses are taken to the right place and that the community is safe.

“We also disinfected the whole area and we are making sure that farmers refrain from bringing other pigs in.”

Ms Jele said they are waiting on the results of the blood tests to know what caused all these deaths, but everyone suspects African swine flu.

While the farmers are in dire straits, the community are up in arms.

The Leandra community no longer want to see pigs roaming around their area.

The residents claim these farmers are not residing in their area but only keep their pigs there.

They also accused the farmers of being inconsiderate towards the health of residents and that of learners in a nearby school.

The pig pens are not far from Vukuqhakaze Secondary School where parents and teachers complain about a bad smell that is distracting teaching and learning.

The farmers claim not to have another place to conduct their agricultural activities.

They are now appealing to the Govan Mbeki Municipality to assist them with land for them to continue their farming activities.
African swine fever

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious haemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, which is responsible for serious economic and production losses.

ASF is a disease listed in the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code and must be reported to the OIE.
Routes of transmission can include direct contact with infected domestic or wild pigs; indirect contact, through ingestion of contaminated material (e.g. food waste, feed, or garbage); contaminated fomites or biological vectors (soft ticks of the genus Ornithodoros) were present.

However, ASF is not a risk to human health.