KOTA KINABALU: Pork sold to the general public in Sabah for consumption is safe to eat and clear of illnesses, says Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
The state Agriculture and Fisheries Minister stated he was conscious of speak circulating on social media claiming that every one pork right here was contaminated with African Swine Fever and that customers ought to keep away from consuming pork.
He stated the unverified data additionally stated that ASF was hazardous to folks’s well being.
“This is not true. ASF does not pose a health risk to humans and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans,” Kitingan said.
“The government is paying close attention to this since it has the potential to cripple our pork industry if no action is taken to curb the spread of ASF,” he added.
He again assured consumers that they should not be concerned about the safety of the pork sold at local markets.
Kitingan said despite the discovery of the ASF virus in ten districts, the most recent in Penampang, commercial pig farms in these areas have so far been spared the infection.
He added that in Sabah, pigs are slaughtered in Veterinary Services Department (VSD)-certified abattoirs before being sold in the markets.
He said all pigs will be examined for ASF and other diseases before slaughter.
“Samples will be taken for surveillance where necessary. So far, the department has not found any ASF-infected pigs in any of the slaughterhouses in Sabah,” Kitingan stated.
He stated shoppers could discover essentially the most up-to-date and correct data relating to ASF from the DVS workplaces in all of the districts all through Sabah.
Meanwhile, he assured shoppers that Sabah’s pork provide can be adequate to fulfill demand, significantly through the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations.
