Assam Enforces New Regulations to Combat African Swine Fever

New SOP for Live Pig Movement in Assam
Guwahati, June 16: In light of the persistent threat posed by African Swine Fever (ASF), the Assam government has introduced a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to oversee the transportation of live pigs within and across the state.
Released by the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department on Monday, this SOP outlines rigorous documentation requirements, health checks, hygiene measures, and transport limitations designed to safeguard Assam’s pig population and its overall livestock sector.
According to the SOP, every shipment of live pigs must be accompanied by crucial documents, such as a purchase invoice, GST challan, E-way bill, and a health certificate confirming the pigs are free from ASF, issued by a government-approved laboratory.
Moreover, each pig must possess a veterinary certificate issued within the last week, detailing identification information, age, vaccination status, and confirmation that it comes from an ASF-free region.
Veterinary teams will be stationed at key interstate entry points—Srirampur (Kokrajhar), Boxirhat (Dhubri), Byrnihat (Kamrup Metro), and Amguri (Sivasagar)—to check documents and perform physical inspections.
A minimum of 2% of pigs in each shipment will be randomly selected for rapid ASF testing. Should any test yield a positive result, the entire shipment will be quarantined and subjected to confirmatory RT-PCR testing.
If a positive result is confirmed, all pigs in that batch will be culled without any compensation. The transporter or trader will bear the costs associated with testing, quarantine, and disposal.
The SOP further stipulates the following:
- A complete ban on transporting pigs at night within Assam.
- Prohibition on unloading at railway stations within state borders and the disposal of animal waste en route.
- Mandatory disinfection of transport vehicles before entering and after leaving the state.
- States sending pig consignments to Assam must inform state authorities in advance.
Any breach of the SOP will result in stringent legal consequences under the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, as stated in the announcement.