African swine fever: Over Rs 37 lakh compensation for pigs culled in Kerala

Over Rs 37 lakh would be paid as compensation to seven farmers in three separate areas of this district, where over 700 pigs were culled recently following an outbreak of African swine fever.

State Minister for Animal husbandry and Dairy Development J Chinchurani will officiate the distribution of the compensation amount of Rs 37,07,752 to the affected farmers from Mananthavady municipality as well as Thavinjal and Nenmeni gram panchayats where a total 702 pigs were culled, a release issued by the district administration said.

The distribution of compensation will take place on August 11, it said.

The announcement comes after the state government last week said it would distribute this month itself the compensation to pig farmers in Wayanad and Kannur districts, who had suffered loss due the outbreak of African swine fever.

The government had also made it clear it would pay the full amount without waiting for the central allocation in this connection.

A government order has been issued for the same, the minister had said last week, adding that respective district animal welfare officers have been instructed to assess the losses incurred by the farmers.

Normally, the compensation amount is to be borne jointly by the state and the central governments.

As many as 702 pigs in Wayanad and 247 pigs in Kannur were culled, she had said.

Kerala had in July tightened biosecurity measures following an alert from the Centre that African swine fever had been reported in Bihar and a few northeastern States.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), African swine fever is a highly contagious and fatal viral disease of domestic pigs.

It was first detected in Kenya, East Africa, in 1921 as a disease that killed settlers' pigs. Contact with warthogs was proven to be an important factor in transmission of the virus.