Nagaland: AH&VS deptt advisory on feeding unregulated food waste to pigs

The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AH&VS) department has issued an advisory to all district veterinary officers to regulate the practice of feeding untreated food waste, or swill, to pigs in both backyard and commercial farms.
The advisory followed a request from Mercy For Animals India (MFA), which raised concerns that unregulated food waste from hotels, restaurants and bulk food providers being fed to pigs poses serious risks to animal health, public health, food safety and commercial pig farms.
MFA organising specialist Niharika Kapoor warned that stale, mould-infected or highly contaminated food waste, including items high in salt, oil and chilli, can severely affect pigs’ digestive health and also endanger public health.
She noted that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH/OIE) have widely documented that feeding food waste is a major route for the spread of livestock diseases such as African Swine Fever (ASF) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
In the advisory, AH&VS directed district veterinary officers to take note of MFA’s letter, which outlined three key measures: prohibition of feeding untreated or unregulated food waste from hotels, canteens and similar sources to pigs; mandatory adoption of feeding practices and diets recommended by veterinary departments, ICAR institutes and recognised livestock research authorities; and regular monitoring of pig farms by veterinary officers and livestock inspectors to ensure compliance and spread awareness among farmers.
The department further emphasised the need to sensitise pig farmers on the risks of disease transmission, particularly ASF and FMD, and to promote safe and humane feeding practices.
MFA is a non-profit organisation working to reduce suffering of animals raised for food and advocating more sustainable and humane food systems.