Management and Biosecurity Practices of Pig Farms in Nepal.

Abstract

The swine industry is vulnerable to different infectious diseases. The pig industry and pork consumption have increased in Nepal for the past several years, but African swine fever in 2022 affected this industry badly. One of the possible ways to prevent disease is by employing good hygiene and strict biosecurity measures in farms. This study, conducted in 2023 in Dang and Jhapa districts of Nepal, sought to assess the management and the biosecurity practices across the pig farms. A survey conducted among pig growers included questions on major management practices, biosecurity measures (isolation, traffic control, sanitation) and demographics of respondents. Farm owners indicating having good practices in place as related to each question were given a score of one and zero to those indicating not having good practices in place. The findings showed the cumulative scores for all three biosecurity components to be 9.1 ± 3.0 (mean ± SD). The farmers lacked basic knowledge on biosecurity measures to be implemented in the farm. The data and analysis lead to the conclusion that there is a strong need for appropriate policies and programmes for helping and motivating pig farmers to adopt biosecurity practices and reduce the disease risk in Nepal.