GEORGE TOWN: African Swine Fever (ASF) is the primary bane of the pig-rearing industry and the leading cause behind the sky-rocketing prices of pork in the market, say farmers.

A 2023 outbreak had caused the number of farms in Penang to shrink by 25% as farmers were forced to cull infected livestock, said Penang Pig Farmers Associa­tion chairman Wong Fu Sheng.