Vet on call: The pig farmers’ worst nightmare

David Njuguna feeds pigs that he keeps in his farm in Nakuru. Pig farmers should always be wary of African swine fever virus which currently has no vaccine or treatment. PHOTO | JOHN NJOROGE | NMG

What you need to know:

  • In medicine, whether animal or human, we only deal with scientific possibilities and never prediction of definitive outcomes.
  • Currently, the best way of dealing with the disease outbreak is to fully destock by destroying all the pigs. All combustible materials contaminated by the pigs should be burned or deeply buried.
  • Currently, the disease has no vaccine or treatment. It is only prevented by high levels of hygiene and sourcing of pigs from confirmed disease-free herds.
  • The government, through the Directorate of Veterinary Services, need to take ASF seriously and develop capacity for Kenyan laboratory diagnosis of the disease and strict enforcement of the pig farming regulations.

Samson has always had a passion for pig farming because he finds the venture easy, unlike keeping dairy cows.

“With pigs, the animals are housed in cubicles, they eat factory feed twice per day and spend most of the time sleeping. When farrowing, a sow will easily surprise you with 16 piglets,” Samson told me as we drove to his farm in Isinya recently.

Additionally, the animals only take about six months to get ready for the market. The money per pig is about a quarter that of a cow but the business figures are compensated by the high number of piglets per birth, short maturing time, ready market and the small number of pig farmers.

Once we arrived on Samson’s pig farm, I was impressed by the level of preparation he had made. The one-acre facility was well-secured with a strong chain link perimeter fence and a metal gate.

The pig compound was again secured with chain link. There were large overhead water tanks and good piping to the pig pens.

The pigsty was built in two versions. The older one was made in the conventional way where the pigs had a sunbathing and watering space outside the sleeping and feeding area.

The second portion was attached to the first one horizontally but was built like a warehouse without a sunbathing area. The building was very well lit and aerated.

All the pens were made of stone and concrete and were well-plastered to ease cleaning, disinfection and parasite control.

The drainage system was well done. Channels collected all the waste from each pen and emptied into one large drain running along the lengths of the building.

There were disinfectant water baths at the entrance to the pig house and into each side of the building.

Both versions are good but the second is more economical with space and construction cost. It also keeps away unwanted pests like birds that may bring diseases to the pigs.

The pig house was completely empty and no animal had been on site for three months. The pens had been cleaned at least three times and heavily disinfected over the unoccupied period. “Now doc, do you think the virus is still hiding somewhere, waiting to pounce on my new pig stock?” Samson asked in jest.

In medicine, whether animal or human, we only deal with scientific possibilities and never prediction of definitive outcomes.

Though we use the best medicines and treatment protocols, sometimes we are surprised by the unpredictability of biological systems.

You see, Samson’s farm had the misfortune of hosting the African swine fever virus (ASF), which wiped out all his 300 pigs within two months.

He had called me in the middle of the outbreak and I told him there was nothing that could have been done to save his stock.

ASF has vandalised the pig industry particularly in Kiambu, Kajiado and Murang’a in the last one year. Though I have not seen a single laboratory confirmed report of the disease, the clinical diagnosis in the three counties leaves no doubt that we have had an ASF outbreak.

Currently, the best way of dealing with the disease outbreak is to fully destock by destroying all the pigs. All combustible materials contaminated by the pigs should be burned or deeply buried.

The pigsty should be thoroughly cleaned, disinfected and rested for at least three months before a new stock is introduced.

Other areas in the compound contaminated by pig material should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. The affected farm should also review its hygiene practices and take corrective action on all areas with gaps.

In Samson’s case, the main gaps were introduction of new pigs from sources whose ASF status was unknown, use of a feed supplier who went round many farms dropping the feeds and inadequate disinfection of water baths on the farm. He also did not understand the prevention measures of ASF.

I noticed Samson did not have a disinfection footbath at the main gate to the farm, at the entrance to the feed store and at the entrance and exit to the pigsty.

These are areas of vulnerability that he needed to address before bringing in the new pig stock.

Currently, the disease has no vaccine or treatment. It is only prevented by high levels of hygiene and sourcing of pigs from confirmed disease-free herds.

As we concluded the farm visit, Samson assured me that despite the loss, which he estimated at Sh10 million, he would never surrender.

He lost 20 sows, two boars and 278 young pigs. His actual loss was about Sh5.8 million. However, the loss rises taking into account the opportunity cost for keeping the piggery empty and starting all over again. He plans to bring in new animals next month.

The government, through the Directorate of Veterinary Services, need to take ASF seriously and develop capacity for Kenyan laboratory diagnosis of the disease and strict enforcement of the pig farming regulations.

ASF can occur at any time regardless of the seasons. The initial cases may be transmitted by the soft tick Ornithodoros moubata which resides in warthog burrows but the main method of disease spread is feeding of pigs with contaminated waste, unhygienic movement of people and vehicles from contaminated areas and pig-to-pig infections in infected areas and pig-to-pig infections in infected houses.