312 pigs and piglets, including 6 infected with PRRS, seized

Mizoram minister Dr K Beichhua on Monday said 312 pigs and piglets, including six infected with the PRRS disease, were seized after being sourced from Myanmar violating the ban on its import.

Of the seized animals, six were found to be infected with the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), the outbreak of which in the state was the reason for the ban on the import, Beichhua said.

Deputy Commissioners of all the eight districts of the state have issued orders on February 1 banning import of pigs and piglets from other countries in view of possible outbreak of the PRRS.

"The authorities have seized 312 pigs and 121 of them are grown-up ones last week. Six of these 121 were found to be infected with the PRRS. Twenty people were arrested in this connection," Beichhua told reporters.

He said the PRRS outbreak in 2013, 2016 and 2018 resulted in the death of a total of over 10,000 pigs and piglets in the state.

It was suspected that the PRRS outbreak was due to illegal and even legal import of pigs and piglets from Myanmar where there was reported prevalence of the porcine disease, official sources said.

"We are afraid that a porcine disease, more dangerous than the African Swine Fever (ASF), would reach Mizoram," the minister said.

The ASF is prevalent in countries like China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hongkong this year.

A technical committee on preparedness of the AFS was set up by the state veterinary department.