Pig farmers are calling for more information and support following an announcement from the Agriculture Ministry that the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) was discovered at a pig farm in South Trinidad.
The ministry said on Friday in a statement that PRRS, or blue ear disease, affects pigs with reproductive failure and pneumonia but poses no threat to human health or food safety. However, farmers said yesterday that they want more guidance on ways to safeguard their pigs.
At Mungal’s pig farm at Barrackpore Trace, Nathaniel Mungal said many pig farmers were going out of business because of the high costs of production.
Saying he too had downsized, Mungal said farmers were now worried about PRRS.
“Plenty people have stopped minding pigs because it is too much losses. The pigs getting sick and the price of the feed is high. Now we are hearing about this disease,” he said.
He added, “When you mind the animals, you are not getting back compensation for your losses because the small farmers don’t get back anything. Only the big farmers get compensation.”
The ministry had stated that local pork remains safe to consume despite the prevalence of the PRRS but Mungal said more needs to be done by the Agriculture Ministry to clear up any fears or misconceptions.
Meanwhile, Jahmall Edwards, also called for more information to be disseminated to the public.
“Some people may think that the pigs have the disease and then this will be a loss for our pockets. We are the sellers, not the wholesalers and we need information on how to keep our pigs healthy,” Edwards said.
Pig farmer Anand Mungal also called for more support for farmers. He said the ministry’s team should visit all pig farms and provide guidance on the disease.