According to The New Vision, people dealing in pork, some employing over eight workers, have been rendered jobless after the district veterinary office put a quarantine on transportation of pigs and closed all pork joints on Wednesday.

African swine fever is a viral disease which is spread from one infected animal to another through body fluids or eating meat of the animal killed by the fever.

It can kill an animal three to four days after infection.

Dr Dominic Lali, the district veterinary officer, said the ban would stay until the situation was contained.

“The loss could be in millions because we don’t know when the ban will be lifted. Of course, those who are dealing in pigs and pork will be affected until then,“ he said.

He said a piglet costs sh30,000 and mature ones costs sh180,000 and above. “When a dealer buys a pig, he can get over sh250,000 because a kilogramme goes at sh8,000 when roasted.“

Patrick Andi Amayo, the proprietor of the biggest pork joint in Moyo, on Thursday said his business was paralysed.

“Sometimes I slaughter three pigs a day and I have three people working for me but all this has been stopped,“ he said.