November 07, Colombo (LNW): The Animal Production and Health Department in Sri Lanka has designated all Divisional Secretariat divisions as either affected or at-risk areas for African swine fever. In response, Director General Dr. Hemali Kothalawala issued a gazette notification on November 5, easing previous restrictions and allowing the transport of healthy animals. This directive remains in effect until further notice.
Under the new guidelines, animals from farms verified by veterinarians to be free from African swine fever can now be transported and slaughtered for meat, provided they are accompanied by a veterinarian-issued health certificate. Dr. Kothalawala explained that the decision to relax restrictions was based on significant containment progress in managing the outbreak.
