SA pig farmers receive swine fever payout
About R75-million (€5.5 million) is to be paid to pig farmers whose livestock was culled following a 2005 swine fever outbreak in South Africa, said the Eastern Cape department of agriculture on Thursday.
The compensation to be paid out this week, follows the Veterinary Services Directorate of the Eastern Cape’s recommendation that pigs that were affected by swine fever be culled to prevent the spread of the disease.
Department spokesperson Mthobeli Mxotwa stated that 200 farmers died while waiting for the pay out, but plans were underway for the dues of the deceased farmers to be paid to their families.
The payout comes after the Department announced plans to assist pig farmers to protect their stock from future disease outbreaks on Wednesday. A process to assist farmers who lost their pigs through culling to re-stock has begun as the pigsties are expected to be “disease proof”.
A breeding programme at the Tsolo Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development, where aspirant pig farmers will be able to buy piglets for re-stocking at nominal prices, is also underway.
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