BATU KAWAN (Jan 28): To date, a total of 23 pig farms in Penang have been found to be affected by the African swine fever (ASF), said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He said as of Friday (Jan 27), a total of 7,998 pigs from six farms in Seberang Perai Tengah and Seberang Perai Selatan had been culled after they were found to be ASF positive.

"So far, the breakdown of ASF-affected farms is as follows: Seventeen farms in Seberang Perai Selatan involving 42,691 pigs, two farms in Seberang Perai Tengah (2,742 pigs), and four farms (7,842 pigs) in Seberang Perai Utara.

"All the pig carcasses were buried in Seberang Perai Selatan, far from public settlements or at undeveloped locations, so as not to cause disturbance in the areas involved.

"We are also looking for a site in Seberang Perai Utara to bury the culled animals," he told reporters after attending the Batu Kawan parliamentary constituency's Chinese New Year open house here on Saturday.

Elaborating, Chow said the Penang Veterinary Services Department with the help of local authorities had been able to deal with the ASF, especially in relation to the disposal of the infected pigs at the allocated sites.

He said the Penang Veterinary Services Department is also being assisted by two teams from Putrajaya in carrying out all ASF-related tasks, including sampling and disposal of the dead or infected livestock.

“Last week, the ASF threat was stable. Although two farms were newly hit, we do not rule out the possibility that the outbreak will continue to spread," he said.

He said that currently, there are 124 pig farms in Penang, with a total of 267,348 pigs.

"To date, 101 pig farms have not been hit with the ASF, where 35 of the farms are in Seberang Perai Selatan, with a total of 97,104 animals, followed by 60 farms in Seberang Perai Utara (100,600 animals), two farms in Seberang Perai Tengah (5,539 animals), and four farms in Barat Daya (10,830 animals)," he said.

“Once again, pig farmers and the public are reminded to immediately report any death relating to wild boars, village pigs or commercial pigs to the Penang Veterinary Services Department via the Disease Crisis Management Room hotline at (04) 5041047,'' he said.