Swine Fever Hits Plateau State as Hundreds of Pigs Die

News in Brief:

—Pig farmers in Plateau State say African Swine Fever has killed thousands of pigs and forced hundreds of farms to shut down.

—Producers are calling on the state government to intervene urgently to contain the outbreak and prevent further economic losses.

Pig farmers in Plateau State have raised the alarm over an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) that has reportedly killed thousands of pigs and forced hundreds of farms to suspend operations.

The farmers warned that the disease is inflicting heavy financial losses on producers and threatening an industry that contributes significantly to food security, employment and the state's economy.

They have appealed to Governor Caleb Mutfwang to intervene urgently to contain the outbreak and support affected farmers.

Farmers Report Thousands of Pig Deaths

The appeal was made by the Chief Executive Officer of Topnotch Pig Farms Services and Veterinary Consultant at Saction Hub Limited, Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, in an open letter addressed to the governor.

Speaking on the scale of the outbreak, Yonkpa said the exact number of animal deaths had not yet been established but confirmed that casualties had already reached the thousands.

"The number at the moment I cannot quantify, but they are in thousands. You can rightly say thousands of pigs have died," he said. He added that both small-scale and commercial pig farms had been severely affected by the disease.

According to Yonkpa, the outbreak has forced hundreds of pig farms across Plateau State to cease operations.

"At the moment, hundreds of pig farms have closed. Both small and large farms have been affected. The big farms in Plateau State have already shut down because of the outbreak of African Swine Fever," he added.

The livestock expert described the situation as catastrophic for producers, many of whom have suffered losses worth millions of naira.

Industry Warns of Wider Economic Impact

Yonkpa noted that Plateau is one of Nigeria's leading pork-producing states, supplying pork to neighbouring Kaduna and Nasarawa states as well as markets across southern Nigeria.

He warned that prolonged disruption of pig production could affect livestock supply chains, reduce farmers' incomes and undermine the state's contribution to the country's livestock industry.

The farmers are urging the state government to implement emergency disease control measures and provide support to affected producers to prevent further losses and restore confidence in the sector.