Here's why eSwatini is banning imports of live pigs

<p><strong>The Kingdom of eSwatini on Monday banned imports of live pigs from countries that test positive for African Swine Fever (<span class="caps">ASF</span>) after an outbreak of the disease in neighbouring South Africa.</strong></p> <p>The movement of pigs between farms will be strictly controlled, the director of veterinary and livestock services, Xolani Dlamini, said in a statement in the Swazi Observer.</p> <p>The disease is highly contagious and fatal among pigs and there is no vaccine against it. It does not affect humans.</p> <p>Dlamini said his office would introduce a system to identify and track pigs.</p> <p>“Importations are only from slaughter houses and establishments that are located in <span class="caps">ASF</span>-free zones and also source their slaughter stock from registered and supervised disease-free compartments,” Dlamini said.</p> <p>Last month South Africa’s agricultural ministry said the outbreak of the disease had spread to a fourth province in the country.</p> <p>China has also been struggling to contain an outbreak of <span class="caps">ASF</span> since last year, causing major losses to the world’s largest hog herd.</p> <p><strong><em><span class="caps">REUTERS</span></em></strong></p>