ANOTHER pig farm in Valdor, South Seberang Perai (SPS), near George Town, was shut today due to a case of African swine fever (ASF). 

The closure was carried out by the Penang Veterinary Services Department (VSD), this being the second ASF case in the state so far. 

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said he attended a meeting regarding the matter this morning. 

“The ASF case involves a second pig farm in SPS, and immediate action has been taken to close the farm and cull more than 1,000 livestock there. 

“As the Valdor area (in SPS) has 42 pig farms, we have decided that this disaster will be upgraded from the district (classification) to the state level, because the (SPS) district office has limited resources,” he told reporters after officiating the LovePenang Carnival in Padang Kota Lama tonight. 

Chow said he has instructed state secretary Mohd Sayuthi Bakar to hold a state-level disaster management meeting tomorrow to discuss the ASF issue. 

Meanwhile, Penang VSD director Saira Banu Mohamed Rejab said after her department received the positive result involving livestock at the Valdor farm this morning, it ordered the farm to cease operations immediately. 

She said based on the state VSD’s census data, there are 124 pig farms in Penang housing 267,348 pigs. 

Yesterday, Bernama reported that an ASF case had been detected in a pig farm in Valdor, and the farm was shut down to cull the pigs. – Bernama, January 7, 2023.