District hit by swine fever, calls for help to fight it

THE remote Bosave local level government (LLG) in Nipa-Kutubu, Southern Highlands, has reported cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) which has left dozens of pigs dead.
Deputy provincial administrator Fiebik Kilip said it was now a concern where stakeholders, development partners such as Oil Search Ltd and Exxon Mobil and the MPs needed to step in to fight the disease.
Kilip said checkpoints had been established at various locations throughout the province and they needed support so that villagers engaged to check pigs on a 24-hour basis were properly funded so that work progressed effectively.
“The United Nations (UN) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have donated 10 camping tents in consultation with National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (Naqia) which were distributed to the various checkpoints,” he said.
“Southern Highlands has been declared as the epicentre for the outbreak of ASF and MPs must step up to support the work of Naqia as we come from a society where pigs are a valuable asset that settles disputes and is a cultural commodity.”
Kilip said educated elites and MPs needed to support the work of Naqia by carrying out awareness in their villages so that pigs were not moved from place to place.