Sale of piggery items banned across Assam: Minister Atul Bora

* Cause of death yet to be ascertained

* Of the 1,964 cases, 1128 pigs died in Sivasagar district

* Samples from six affected upper Assam districts sent to Bhopal-based ICAR laboratory

REPORTERS STORIES

GUWAHATI: Sale of all pork items has been banned with immediate effect across the State. This announcement was made by Animal Husbandry, Veterinary & Agriculture Minister Atul Bora while addressing the media here on Saturday. Earlier, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the presence of the Minister had held a meeting with the top officials and scientists of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department and directed the department to conduct an inquiry into the pig flu cases in the State and take remedial measures at the earliest in the greater interest of farmers engaged in the Piggery sector.

Pointing out that “till date, 1,964 pigs have died due to some yet-to-be diagnosed ailments in six upper Assam districts”, Minister Bora added that “the highest number of 1,128 pigs died in Sibsagar district.”

The six affected districts are Biswanath, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, and Jorhat. The Minister further said, “Samples collected by the veterinary doctors’ teams from each of the six districts have been sent to National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Laboratory of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) at Bhopal. After receiving the laboratory reports, discussions will be held with the Central government and the strategy to deal with the situation will be initiated.”

As an immediate measure, the authorities concerned have been instructed to declare the affected districts as “containment zones”. Transport of pigs and all piggery items to and from the affected districts have been stopped immediately. The people involved in these affected piggery farms have been forbidden to interact with people involved in the other such farms.

The Minister also directed that the carcasses of pigs will have to be disposed off using the prescribed bio-security measures in six-feet-deep pits on the ground. The district authorities have been further asked to regularly sanitize the pig farms.

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