South Africa - Blue ear disease hits WC pigs

The movement of swine will be controlled in certain areas of the Western Cape after a large commercial piggery in Klapmuts tested positive for blue ear disease, said Agriculture MEC Cobus Dowry on Friday. Dowry said: "A movement control system would be implemented immediately in the municipal areas of Drakenstein, Joostenburg, Philippi, Emfuleni and Malmesbury. "This means all movements of pigs into and from these areas requires a "red" cross permit issued by the state vet Boland or the SV Malmesbury Offices." Dowry said that the findings followed intensive investigation and surveillance to try and determine the extent of the disease, diagnosed for the first time in South Africa in April 2004, on the Cape Flats. New cases were recently reported in the Wellington area after the successful eradication of all diseased pigs in the first outbreak. Doctor Gideon Bruckner, Western Cape director of veterinary services, said a "science-based risk assessment" needed to be conducted to give guidance on the future control of the disease. He said an intensive eradication campaign would therefore not be initiated now, but farmers in affected areas were being encouraged to have their pigs slaughtered as soon as they reached a marketable age and weight. "As an interim measure and complimentary to the permit system and quarantine of positive farms, Pork Respiratory and Reproduction Syndrome vaccine to vaccinate positive herds only will be imported and administered under official control." Limiting the spread of the disease Bruckner said the main purpose of the vaccination of positive herds was to reduce the risk of the spread of the disease to negative herds and to protect all small and large-scale farmers who were dependent on pig farming as a source of income. Dowry added that a temporary ban was already in place on the sale of live pigs at auctions within the Boland and adjoining areas to limit the spread of the disease. He confirmed that there was no danger of the disease affecting humans, and urged pig farmers to ensure they only purchased swine from farms with a proven clean health history. Farmers were to embark on good hygiene management practices on their farms to minimise the risk of disease introduction or spread of the disease. The highly infectious disease attacked the respiratory and reproductive systems, causing pregnant pigs to abort foetuses and coughing in younger pigs.