Agriculture
Pig auction ban still in place in Free State─── 14:43 Mon, 03 Oct 2016
Bloemfontein - The ban on the sale of live pigs at auctions in certain parts of the Free State still remains in place.
This is according to the latest Free State Agriculture (FSA) newsletter. It quotes Johan Stadler, chairperson of the Free State Red Meat Producers Organisation’s (FSRPO) Stock Theft Prevention Forum, as saying Police focused on the prohibition during a recent meeting of the Zamdela Cluster, which also includes Sasolburg.
Police allegedly had to force owners to remove pigs taken to auctions for sale.
FSA also quotes SA Pork Producer’s Organisation CEO, Simon Streicher, as saying the ban has been in place since Swine Fever outbreaks in Schweizer-Reneke in North West and Koffiefontein in the Free State earlier this year.
The North West outbreak was contained, but in the Free State the disease spread to Bloemfontein and Thaba Nchu, where several hundred pigs were culled.
Streicher told FSA the ban will only be lifted once the state veterinary service’s tests for Swine Fever have been negative for 60 consecutive days.
The ban could therefore still be in place for the next month or two.
Source: Free State Agriculture
