The Director General of Animal Production and Health has issued an extraordinary gazette notification with the aim of preventing the further spread of African Swine Fever, which has spread in various Divisional Secretariats of the country in the past few months.
Through the said gazette notification, all districts of Sri Lanka have been declared as risk areas for African Swine Fever and pigs as risk animals under the Animal Diseases Act No. 59 of 1992.
The relevant gazette notification will come into effect from October 3rd and will be valid for a period not exceeding 03 months from the date of its implementation. The gazette notification further states that the period can be extended depending on the disease situation.
The Director General of Animal Production and Health has prohibited the following acts and activities in order to contain and prevent the spread of swine fever in the risk areas by the relevant gazette notification.
Under Section 5 (4) of the Animal Diseases Act, all pigs, pork and any products or anything contaminated with the pathogen, within or out of the risk area, without a permit issued by the Divisional Veterinary Officer in accordance with Form VII of the Order published in the Gazette No. 1108/23 dated 03 December 1999.
Slaughtering pigs for meat without a permit issued for transportation in accordance with the above section.
Selling, offering for sale, storing or distributing pigs, pork and any products or products contaminated with the disease agent and preparing products from pork without a permit from an authorized officer designated in this order.
Disposing of any carcass or part thereof of any animal suspected of having died or been infected with the relevant diseases or any other hazardous material, except in accordance with the instructions in the guidelines issued by the Department of Animal Production and Health, or placing it in any place connected with water, or placing it in any place where it can be carried by other animals to another place or area.
Slaughtering/storing/preparing in a slaughterhouse/warehouse/meat processing center other than a slaughterhouse/warehouse/meat processing center approved by an authorized officer designated in this order.