Stop Pig Hunting Because Of African Swine Flu, Mukomuko Regional Income Threatened To Reduce

Mukomuko Fitriyani Regency Head of Animal Husbandry and Animal Health at the Agriculture Service Office (ANTARA)

MUKOMUKO - The Agriculture Service of Mukomuko Regency, Bengkulu Province, stopped catching wild boars to prevent the transmission and spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) or African swine flu.

"We have written to the pig hunting association (Porbi) to stop catching wild boars in this area," said Head of Livestock and Animal Health at the Mukomuko Regency Agriculture Service, Fitriyani, in her statement, Antara, Friday, February 18.

The local Agriculture Service stopped catching and trading pork following a letter from the Bengkulu Livestock Service Number 524/ 210/ Nakeswan/2022 regarding the application for a quota for catching pigs or wild boars in 2022.

In the Decree of the Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) regarding quotas for taking natural plants and capturing wild animals for the period of 2022.

"This area in 2022 there is no quota for catching pigs or wild boars in Bengkulu and Lampung Provinces. For this reason, in 2022 there is no justification for catching and trading wild species of pigs," he said.

With the prohibition on catching and trading pork or wild boars, it will automatically reduce local revenue through levies on pork health checks.

In fact, local revenue from pork health inspection levies is the largest contributor. In addition, he said, the wild boar population is increasing and can damage the community's agricultural crops.

“From the retribution for health checks, pork is our mainstay. If the income from retribution for slaughterhouses cannot be relied on because not all beef traders are willing to slaughter their livestock to the slaughterhouse," he said.

Furthermore, he said, his party will carry out checks to ensure that wild boar collectors are still determined to sell pork outside this area.