Farmer in Canggu Devastated as 60 Pigs Die Suddenly from Suspected African Swine Fever

Ketut Widanta could only fall silent as he looked at his pig pen, now emptied and desolate. Dozens of pigs ready for harvest in the pen had died suddenly since April. Widanta said he had suffered losses in the tens of millions of rupiah as a result of the condition. The pig farmer in Desa Canggu, Kuta Utara District, Badung Regency, Bali, suspects his stock died from African Swine Fever (ASF).“All my pigs died. In total, 60 head, none remained in the shed,” he said. The outbreak affecting his livestock appeared gradually with uniform clinical symptoms. Similar incidents have occurred on his farm five times since 2018. “The symptoms are always the same: red spots on the skin, not wanting to eat.” Suspected to have contracted ASF Widanta explained that the most striking symptom of the disease affecting his dozens of animals was the reddening of the pigs’ skin. He said the transmission was very rapid, spreading to the entire pen’s population within days. “The disease I suspect to be ASF is usually infected for about a week. Transmission is rapid over a few days; if one animal is infected, all certainly become infected,” added the man who has run pig farming since 2000. The dozens of dead pigs were then buried by their owner to prevent further spread. Widanta says he can only accept it, as there is currently no medicine or vaccine capable of curing the deadly virus affecting pigs. “Such pigs weighed around 150 kilograms each and were ready for harvest; yet they died,” Widanta said curtly. Widanta suspects the virus reached his pigs through animal movements or human activities bringing disease agents from outside. He also suspects that the use of transport containers or transport pens that are not hygienic could facilitate virus transmission between farms. Disperpa Badung Investigates The Badung Agriculture and Food Service (Disperpa) responded to the case of sudden pig deaths belonging to residents in Banjar Kayu Tulang, Desa Canggu. Although no official report has been received yet, the relevant agency will deploy a team to verify the information in the field. “If a pig death case is indeed found in Desa Canggu, the Department will immediately coordinate with Balai Besar Veteriner Denpasar. This is important to take samples to confirm the diagnosis via laboratory examination,” said Raka Sukadana. Sudden pig deaths in other areas Separately, Disperpa Badung admitted that it had received reports of sudden pig deaths from several other areas in Badung. According to it, Disperpa personnel had visited the locations for initial treatment. “There are indeed reports of sudden deaths among pigs in several areas. We have followed up by educating farmers and carrying out disinfecting of pens to prevent further spread,” he added. To date, Sukadana said, there is no vaccine available to counter African Swine Fever. He urged farmers to tighten monitoring of the movement of people and goods in and out of farming areas. “In the effort to control animal diseases, the department budgets for medicines and disinfectants each year. To date, a vaccine for ASF is not available, so farmers are urged to implement stringent biosecurity,” he explained. In addition to tightening pen surveillance, he also urged livestock owners to stop feeding swill from tourism industry leftovers. The feeding pattern of waste food is considered highly risky for virus transmission. “The practice of swill feeding or feeding pigs with waste from hotels or restaurants is not recommended, as stated in the Ministry of Agriculture Circular Letter No. 8432/SE/PK.320/F/08/2025. Transmission of ASF can occur not only through such waste, but also via people, goods, vehicles, and other contaminated media,” concluded Raka Sukadana.