NEWS ▶▶▶ African Swine Fever hits Nigeria hard
It is not only Asian and European countries that are fighting African Swine Fever (ASF). Fears are that in Nigeria, almost a million pigs have died from ASF, following an unprecedented out- break that has devastated the livelihoods of thousands of farmers. The outbreak was first re- ported in early 2020 at a private farm in Ogun state, in the southwest of the country, border- ing Benin. It then spread to pig farms in neigh- bouring Lagos state. Dr Oladipo Omotosho of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, said on the aca- demic news platform The Conversation that the outbreak is at “epidemic proportions”. He add- ed, “The rate of spread within and between farms is alarming and the death rate is higher than has been seen in the last 12 years. There are farms that have experienced the deaths of hundreds of pigs within 24 hours. The major reasons are weak farm biosecurity, disease sur- veillance and warning systems.” The Guardian reported that farmers estimated that the local pig industry has lost up to 20 bil- lion Nigerian naira (US$ 51.6 million), and that
EFSA addresses welfare at slaughter
more than 20,000 jobs are at risk. At least a quarter of the states in Nigeria has been affect- ed by ASF, according to Benjamin Oyedeji, na- tional secretary of the Pig Farmers Association of Nigeria (PFAN). To assist farmers both now and in the future, PFAN, in collaboration with various organisations, is arranging training on biosecurity and proper farm management. Nigeria ranks among the top countries in Afri- ca with regard to pig production. In 2019, 298,000 metric tonnes of pork were produced. Over the last 10 years, Nigeria’s pig industry has grown by 40%, according to PFAN figures.
How can pig growth be slowed during Covid-19?
Researchers at Kansas State University (KSU) have been reporting results of a study in which they were able to help producers slow the growth of hogs during the Covid-19 situation in North America. Professor Mike Tokach, swine nutritionist, said the study focused on reducing protein sources from the animals’ diet. They fo- cused on pigs weighing 91kg, targeting the last 32–36kg those animals needed to reach market weight. He said, “We were able to buy three and a half to four weeks of extra time to get those pigs to market. As many know, that was really crucial when we were going through some of the slowdowns. Buying that extra three and a half weeks allowed some of our producers to keep their pigs on the farm longer, while not getting them too heavy and still fitting into the packer’s window in terms of weight ranges.” The researchers tested four diets: • A diet with normal amounts of lysine for the entire late finishing period;
• A “slow” diet with normal amounts of lysine
until the final two weeks of feeding, then a corn-based diet that included only vitamins and minerals;
• A “slow” diet with reduced amounts (25%) of lysine the entire late finishing period;
• A “slow” diet with reduced lysine (25%) until the final two weeks of feeding, then a corn- based diet including vitamins and minerals.
Professor Joel DeRouchey, also a swine nutri- tionist at KSU, said, “Ultimately what we found through this research is when the pigs were on a slow diet, we reduced their growth perfor- mance fairly substantially. In fact, they were about 14 pounds (6.4kg) lighter at the end of the 44-day finishing period by feeding reduced levels of amino acid.” He added: “Interestingly, when we put them on a slow diet then moved them to a corn-based diet, they gave up anoth- er 12 pounds (5.4kg), or were about 26 pounds (11.8kg) lighter after a 44-day feeding period, which is very substantial. Those diets achieved the goal of holding those pigs while they’re still consuming a full amount of feed.”
In a time where slaughterhouses and their staff are under scrutiny due to Covid-19, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has re- leased a scientific opinion on pig welfare dur- ing the slaughter process. Their view: Most welfare issues at slaughter are due to inade- quate staff skills and poorly designed and con- structed facilities. The scientific opinion includ- ed various recommendations on what to do with pigs in the process of slaughter: • To spare pigs from severe welfare conse- quences, a standard operating proce- dure (SOP) should include identification of hazards and related welfare consequences, using relevant animal-based measures, as well as preventive and corrective measures.
• Upon arrival, pigs should be unloaded as soon as possible and those with severe pain, signs of illness or those unable to move independently should be inspected and a procedure for emergency slaughter should be applied immediately.
• Keeping pigs in lairage should be avoided, unless it benefits their welfare.
• Permanent access to water, adequate space and protection from adverse weather conditions should always be ensured during lairage.
• Stunning methods that require painful restraint or induction of unconsciousness should not be used.
• To monitor stunning method efficacy, the state of consciousness of the animals should be checked immediately after stun- ning, just prior to neck cutting and during bleeding.
• Death must be confirmed before carcass processing begins.
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▶PIG PROGRESS | Volume 36, No. 6, 2020 29
PHOTO: PIG FARMERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
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