The agriculture ministry has suspended the import of live pigs and raw pork from South Africa due to an outbreak of African swine fever in that country. African swine fever is a virus which causes haemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in pigs, and persistently infects its natural hosts – warthogs and bush pigs. In a press statement this week, agriculture’s acting permanent secretary Sophy Kasheeta said the South African department of agriculture, forestry and sheries of cially reported an outbreak of African swine fever.
“As a result, the MAWF hereby announces the immedi- ate suspension of the importation of live pigs and raw pork from the RSA until the outbreak is adequately resolved,” she stated. Surveillance activities at the of cial border points will be increased to ensure that products entering Namibia do not pose an increased level of risk for the pork industry of Namibia.
