The government in Côte d’Ivoire has culled more than 200 pigs that were being raised near sites polluted by toxic waste dumped in Abidjan in August for fear of contamination of the food chain.
The government announced that as part of its management of the toxic-waste crisis, farms located near the polluted sites have been monitored.
”When it proved necessary, a systematic culling of the animals was decided on and carried out in cooperation with the concerned farm owners and the Ministry of Livestock Production,” it said in a statement.
It said 213 beasts have been put down at farms near the economic capital’s Maca prison and Djibi village, while more were due to be slaughtered on Thursday in the Akouedo district.
Pork is an affordable delicacy sold across Abidjan markets.
Hundreds of tonnes of petroleum toxic waste were dumped illicitly across more than a dozen open-air rubbish tips around Abidjan after it was unloaded from a ship by a European company.
The toxic sludge was dumped in mid-August by Ivorian firm Tommy, whose boss was arrested after the poisoning scandal broke.
The waste gave out fumes that poisoned thousands of inhabitants of Abidjan, resulting in at least 10 deaths and the hospitalisation of 69 other people. Doctors reportedly receiving more than 100 000 calls for medical help.
The waste has been excavated and is in the process of being shipped out for incineration in France.
Victims of the pollution have brought a lawsuit in The Netherlands against Swiss-based multinational Trafigura, which chartered the vessel that offloaded the waste in Côte d’Ivoire. — Sapa-AFP