The Ministry of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development of South Africa (DALRRD) starts Wednesday, July 3, to conduct road shows and information campaigns to meet with farmers and affected communities after African swine fever has been registered in four provinces of the country.

After the first outbreak recorded in the north-west of the country in early April 2019, two more ASF outbreaks were detected in Mpumalang and Gauteng in May.

Road shows will begin in Bloemfontein in the Free State on Wednesday, where the Department of Import and Export Food Standards to Improve Animal Health will spend two days with the provincial departments of agriculture.

“In collaboration with the Association of Pork Producers, we will conduct campaigns for farmers and pork producers to raise awareness about ASF, the prevention, transmission and spread of the disease.

They will include information on the risk of feeding pigs with kitchen waste or garbage, “the risk of purchases from unknown sources, public health risks, symptoms, prevention and control of African swine fever,” the Food and Drug Administration said.

Then the information campaign will move July 15 to Rustenburg in the northwest and end in Seerest on July 18.