PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
In response to a request from Mercy For Animals India (MFA), the Directorate of Animal Husbandry in Uttarakhand has issued an advisory to all Chief Veterinary Officers (CVO) in the districts. This advisory aims to prohibit the dangerous practice of feeding untreated and unregulated food waste, or swill, to pigs on both backyard and commercial farms.
According to the Organising Specialist for MFA, Niharika Kapoorthe, the Directorate was recently requested and alerted that feeding stale, mold-infected or highly contaminated food components (such as those high in salt, oil, or chili) to pigs is harmful not only to their digestive health but also to public health. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH/OIE) have documented that feeding food waste is a significant vector for the spread of livestock diseases, including African Swine Fever (ASF) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), she said.
According to officials responding to this request, the advisory issued to all CVOs and project directors includes three main directives. These directives require them to actively educate pig farmers in their districts about the risks of disease spread and poor growth associated with feeding food waste. Additionally, they must strictly monitor state pig farms to prevent the use of rotten, spoiled, or fungus-infected materials. They are also tasked with taking all necessary steps to implement effective awareness and monitoring initiatives across the State.
