MAWKYRWAT: The Hills Farmer Union (HFU) has called for immediate government compensation and the establishment of border livestock health screening posts following a devastating outbreak of swine disease in South West Khasi Hills.
The epidemic has wiped out pig populations in several villages, leaving local farmers facing severe financial losses.
HFU Central Body President Commander Shangpliang stated that a joint inspection team from the HFU and its district branch conducted extensive field visits after receiving widespread complaints.
The team found that many farmers lost their livestock before earning any economic return. In response, the HFU has begun compiling a statewide list of affected pig rearers to formally submit to the government for relief assistance.
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Shangpliang criticized the government’s failure to set up mandatory livestock screening at inter-state borders, blaming the unchecked entry of pigs from outside Meghalaya for the outbreak.
He demanded the urgent deployment of medical personnel, the supply of protective injections for surviving pigs, and the immediate establishment of border inspection posts.
Highlighting what he called a double standard, Shangpliang questioned why the state was quick to compensate non-locals in coal mine or stone-pelting incidents but has yet to provide relief to indigenous livestock farmers suffering catastrophic losses.
(4FrontMedia news)
