Guidelines for African Swine Fever (ASF) prevention and Control in Smallholder Pig Farming in Asia: Culling and Disposal of Pigs in an African Swine Fever Outbreak

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly fatal infectious disease of domestic and wild pigs of all breeds and ages with no effective vaccine or treatment. The incursion of ASF into Asia and the Pacific region has been a major concern as the region is the major pig production area, which produces over 58 percent of pigs globally (FAOSTAT). The concerns, therefore, are growing for its impacts on food security and economics as the virus is expanding towards more areas and countries in the region. As the disease continues to expand into new territories, preparedness and control activities need to be constantly adjusted to adapt to situations observed in the field that may be contrary to what was expected based on international standards or experiences from other parts of the world. National veterinary services face challenges in these complex situations, and so regional and international support is needed to fill capacity gaps required for ASF control and to facilitate dialogue among key stakeholders. Through various regional and national consultation meetings, affected countries have requested technical support to make available relevant technical guidelines for ASF control that are practical especially for smallholder pig farmers in the context of Asia (SO5).

This [Culling and disposal of pigs in an ASF outbreak] is the second of the series of the “Guidelines for African swine fever (ASF) prevention and control in smallholder pig farming in Asia” which provides guidance on planning and conducting pig culling and disposal operations in smallholder setting including other relevant actions, such as cleaning and disinfection of premises in the event of an ASF outbreak.