Thailand to ban pig imports from Myanmar over African swine fever

[August 15, 2019]  BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will ban the import of pigs from Myanmar for 90 days, the country's livestock department told Reuters on Thursday, after the neighboring country confirmed its first case of the African swine fever this week.

The ban, expected to start next week, would cover live pigs and wild boars as well as carcasses from Myanmar, to prevent the disease from spreading into Thailand.

It followed a similar ban Thailand issued for pig imports from Laos in June.

The deadly disease has not yet been found in Thailand, said Sorawit Thanito, director-general of the Livestock Development Department.

"There is no outbreak of the African swine fever in Thailand," he told Reuters.

Earlier today, China also banned the import of pigs, wild boars and related products from Myanmar over concerns about African swine fever.

China has been battling the disease since the middle of last year. African swine fever has spread to all of China's provinces and regions, as well as Hong Kong and Hainan island, since it was first detected there last August.

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Tom Hogue)

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