[Source: PHAMA Plus]

Fiji is upskilling front-line biosecurity and animal health workers to prepare against a possible outbreak of African swine fever.

Over 120 men and women, staff from the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji and the Ministry of Agriculture are attending a week-long training programme on the viral pig killing disease.

The training aims to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to Biosecurity as well as Ministry of Agriculture personnel to better understand the risks associated with the possible outbreak of African swine fever and putting in place measures to control its spread.

Biosecurity Authority acting CEO, Surend Pratap, says it is important to ensure that border protection against the African swine fever is maintained and their capacity to respond to exotic diseases such as this is strengthened.

[Source: PHAMA Plus]

Pratap adds that farm biosecurity programmes on African swine fever will be developed in commercial and semi-commercial farms around the country as well as engaging all relevant stakeholders, particularly pig farmers.

While Fiji is currently free of the African swine fever, it is a threat to the Pacific with the disease now present in Papua New Guinea, and poses a significant social, economic and cultural threat to the region, particularly to the approximately 30,000 households in Fiji that raise pigs for their livelihoods.