NAKHON PATHOM, Thailand (Reuters) – Thai pig farmer Jintana Jamjumrus, 75, suspected two years ago that her herd had been infected with African swine fever when dozens of animals died after developing symptoms.
But the Thai government insisted up until last month that the deadly viral pig disease – which has killed hundreds of pigs in Europe and Asia – had not entered Thailand.
The official government confirmation of the presence of the disease set off a political firestorm, with one opposition lawmaker accusing the government of a years-long cover-up. A deputy agriculture ministry denied the accusation.
“There’s no way they (authorities) didn’t know. Pigs died all over the country and they still said no outbreak. Why the cover-up?” Jintana said.
The Thai government has now detected the swine fever in 22 areas in 13 provinces and culled more than 400 pigs in affected smallholder farms, said Bunyagith Pinprasong, director of the Bureau of Disease Control and Veterinary Services.
Bunyagith said authorities culled almost 300,000 pigs deemed at high risk of the disease between 2019 and 2021, but it was not detected in any of their samples.
Most pig deaths were due to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), he added.
By the time Thailand confirmed the first ASF outbreak last month, nearly 100,000 smallholders, or those rearing up to 50 pigs, had disappeared, leaving just 79,000, government figures on the livestock industry show.
Small farmers’ herds were halved to 1 million pigs, accounting for the bulk of the loss in the national herd, which stands at 10.85 million, down 17% from last year’s 13.1 million, the data shows.
The reduction in livestock has pushed domestic pork prices to an all-time high. Retail pork prices in Bangkok rose to 215 baht ($6.47) per kilogram on Jan. 11, the highest daily average in the commerce ministry’s database, which dates back to 2001.
“It wouldn’t have gone this far with more smallholder farmers still in the market to counterbalance the power of big corporates,” said Sittichai Suksomboon, a 55-year-old pig farmer.
Thailand last month suspended live pig exports until April to shore up the domestic supply. Bunyagith said the government planned to offer smallholders new piglets at discounted prices, but acknowledged it would take up to 10 months to ease the supply shortage.
(Reporting By Patpicha Tanakasempipat)
