Moyo pig farmers hit hard by quarantine

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Pig farmers and traders in Moyo district are urging the government to lift the ban on the movement and sale of pigs and pig products. Last October, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) imposed a quarantine in Aluru sub-county following an outbreak of African Swine Fever, a highly contagious and deadly viral disease in the area.

The outbreak resulted in the deaths of over 30 pigs, primarily in the villages of Pamoju, Pamoti, and Logoba. Since then, the district authorities have implemented quarantine controls, which include a ban on the movement and sale of pigs and their products across the sub-county and to neighboring sub-counties of Moyo and Moyo Town Council.

Pig farmers and traders in the area are expressing frustration with the district authorities’ delay in lifting the ban. They argue that it has left many of them in a miserable situation. Esther Ajio, a pig farmer in Pamoju South Village, notes that several farmers are struggling to feed their pigs since most of them depend solely on pigs as their source of revenue.

“We are now facing challenges of looking after the pigs as of now. If the cases are not too high, we request the government to lift the ban on the movement of pigs,” she said. Stephen Anyanzo, another farmer, wonders why the authorities have not lifted the ban imposed more than five months ago when their areas are now free from the disease.

“How long shall the district take to lift the ban? Our area is free of the disease, and farmers should be allowed to trade to survive,” he said. Meanwhile, George Angu, a farmer in Pamoti West Village, says he is stuck with three pigs ready to be sold, but he is unable to sell them due to the ban imposed to contain the disease.

Angu further notes that he cannot afford to pay their fees because of the ban. “I have several children in institutions, and two are in secondary schools. It has been very hard for me to finish their school fees,” Angu said.

However, Dr. Richard Akule, Moyo District veterinary officer, explains that farmers in some areas have continued to defy the ban, affecting their efforts to contain the disease. According to Akule, they have registered new cases of African Swine Fever in some areas.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a viral disease of pigs and wild boars that presents with a lack of appetite, red skin, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting in the affected animal, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).

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