The Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has launched the African Swine Fever (ASF) control and biosecurity campaign at the Oke-Aro Pig Farm Estate, with the distribution of protective and disease-control materials to the farmers
The campaign is initiated by the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) to control the African Swine Fever disease in the country
The minister presented biosecurity kits to many farmers in the area
L-PRES said the intervention is particularly important to Oke-Aro because of the large concentration of pig farmers and pigs within the settlement
Speaking during the programme, the National Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Dr Sanusi Abubakar, said the intervention would go beyond the distribution of materials
He said L-PRES would train pig farmers on essential and critical biosecurity measures and other good farm practices needed to prevent and control diseases
The training will cover areas such as proper farm disinfection, use of protective equipment, movement control, farm hygiene and other practical measures for protecting pigs against disease outbreaks
He explained that providing the materials must go together with giving farmers the knowledge they need to use them properly and maintain good biosecurity on their farms
The estate, located around the Lagos-Ogun axis, is widely recognised as one of Nigeria’s major pig production clusters
Oke-Aro has experienced devastating African Swine Fever outbreaks in the past, resulting in the loss of large numbers of pigs and investments belonging to farmers This has made disease prevention and improved biosecurity particularly important to farmers operating within the estate.
The kits distributed during the launch were procured by L-PRES to help farmers improve biosecurity and reduce the risk of diseases entering and spreading within their farms
Items distributed included Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), boots, knapsack sprayers, motorised knapsack sprayers, gloves, nose masks, protective goggles, CID 20 disinfectant and Virocid disinfectant
Responding on behalf of the farmers, the President of the Pig Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Adebowale Ayodej, welcomed the intervention and thanked the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and L-PRES for bringing the campaign and biosecurity support to pig farmers.
He described African Swine Fever as a major challenge to pig farming and said improved biosecurity, farmer training and access to the right disease-control materials would help farmers better protect their animals and investments
He also welcomed the commitment by L-PRES to train farmers, noting that continuous awareness and practical knowledge on disease prevention are important, especially in a large pig farming community such as Oke-Aro
Farmers were encouraged to regularly disinfect their farms and pay close attention to the movement of people, pigs, vehicles and equipment between farms
African Swine Fever is a highly contagious viral disease affecting pigs and can cause serious economic losses to farmers It does not infect humans, but outbreaks can spread rapidly among pigs where appropriate biosecurity measures are not followed.