Policy Watch: The curious case of India's dead pigs
Several of our Members will be in Poland this week.
Dear all,
Our delegation to the 33rd annual Economic Forum in Krynica, Poland are flying out tomorrow morning, taking part in two panel discussions. Scroll down for more info.
We’v got a session on investment management for South Asian community organisations and charity trustees with leading wealth manager LGT, on 17 October in London. Scroll down below to request to join.
Since at least early 2020, the bodies of dead pigs have been turning pale blue in an often fatal illness. Pig rearing in India is largley limited to Dalit and tribal communities. At the same time, the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), a contagious viral infection, was spreading among cows in north India. Cow ownership is traditionally the domain of upper / dominant castes. Scroll down to read about how government policy responses differed for each.
Our sessions at Economic Forum, Krynica, Poland
Our Members and delegation will be taking part in the following sessions at the 33rd annual Economic Forum in Krynica, Poland this week:
New divisions, new connections. Chances and risks of global derisking: We are currently witnessing a process of "de-risking" - countries such as the USA, Japan and India are trying to reduce their economic dependence on China, including: persuading companies to move production to other countries. How should Europe respond to this process? What opportunities and threats does this process create for European countries and companies?
Krzysztof Zalewski, President of the Management Board, Institute of Asian and Global Studies (Poland)
Łukasz Fyderek, Director of the Institute of the Middle and Far East, Jagiellonian University (Poland)
Kozo Saiki, General Director of the Brussels Office, Japan Machinery Center for Trade and Investment (JMC) (Japan)
Pratik Dattani, Founder, Bridge India (UK)
Filip Šebok, Head of the Prague office, Central European Institute of Asian Studies (Slovakia)
A counterweight to China: The fastest growing major economy in the world - Taking Advantage of the India opportunity: A record 642 million Indians cast their votes in the country’s recent general election, in May 2024. This was the largest democratic exercise of all time, done in a free, fair and violence-free manner. India is also the fastest growing major economy in the world, quicker than China. Pockets of Europe, such as the UK, have a long-standing and deep economic relationship with India, but the opportunity is under-explored in Europe. Cultural, business and political factors all account for a hesitation from European, especially Eastern European companies, from working with India. But as Europe struggles for a unified identity and relies on anaemic growth, there is an opportunity to discover new sources of growth previously unexplored.
Rajesh Agrawal, Former Deputy Mayor for Business, London (UK)
Myles Stacey OBE, Former Special Advisor to Prime Ministers Sunak and Johnson (UK)
Dr. Ramanand Nand, Director, Centre of Policy Research and Governance (India)
Andrew Grocock, Chief of Staff, Baroness Arlene Foster DBE PC; Director, Together UK Foundation (UK)
Pratik Dattani, Founder, Bridge India (UK)
Eliza Przezdziecka, Director, Institute of International Economics, Warsaw School of Economics (Poland)
Member news
Our Advisory Board Member Dr Sarfraz Ashraf is one of the main organisers of the Asian Achievers Awards, taking place on Fri 20 September. He has extensive experience of working in the NHS and more widely in healthcare. He works closely with specialist health care providers in India. He has a strong political family background, unusually across different political parties in India.
Want to see your achievements here? Become a Member today.
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Upcoming events
22nd Asian Achievers Awards (Fri 20 Sept, London Hilton on Park Lane | tickets)
The Asian Achievers Awards recognise the outstanding work of individuals within the South Asian community. The evening will be hosted by actor Nitin Ganatra OBE; and ITV News presenter and former AAA winner Anila Dhami. It will start with a Drinks Reception at 6pm, followed by a sit-down dinner, awards and entertainment from standup comedian Ahir Shah and others from 7:15pm, and close by 11pm, followed by an afterparty with BBC DJ Vallisa Chauhan and live music.
When: 6pm until late, Fri 20 Sept
Where: London Hilton on Park Lane
Tickets: Click here. Get in touch for special prices available for Members.
The future of UK-India relations: In Conversation With Navendu Mishra MP (6:30pm, 15 October | House of Commons)
New Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited India in just his third week in office, meeting both his counterpart Dr Jaishankar, as well as PM Narendra Modi. He said the UK’s relationship with India had been “underperforming” and that he sought to reset it. Join us in conversation with Navendu Mishra MP for a deep-dive into what bilateral relations might look like.
When: 6:30pm, Tues 15 October
Where: House of Commons
RSVP: Email contact@bridgeindia.org.uk requesting a space. Preference given to Members.
Investment management for South Asian charity trustees (9am, Thurs 17 Oct | Bank)
Are you a charity trustee? Do you think about asset management and getting the best out of your financial resources? Do you want to know how the best South Asian charities deal with their cash reserves and investment management?
If your answer is Yes to any of these questions, please join us for the following session with LGT Wealth Management, the world’s largest private bank and asset manager owned by a single family, to explore these questions in a collaborative and confidential setting.
LGT has offices in 20+ locations worldwide, 5,000+ employees and £270bn in assets under management (as at 30/06/2023). At least 10% of group dividends paid to charity each year.
When: Arrivals 8:30am, session 9-10:30am | Thurs 17 October
Where: LGT Wealth Management, 14 Cornhill, London EC3V 3NR (closest station: Bank)
Who: 15 trustees of South Asian charities and community organisations in the UK
RSVP: Request to join by emailing contact@bridgeindia.org.uk by 12pm, Fri 13 September
Policy Watch: The curious case of India's dead pigs
India’s reducing pig population
Of the total domestic pigs in India, around 25% are estimated to be reared in the northeastern states. Uttar Pradesh, with around 13% of the country’s pig population in 2012, saw it decline to 4.5% by 2019, more than any other state. The pigs, it was found, were battling two highly contagious diseases: Classical Swine Fever (CSF) and African Swine Fever (ASF). Both CSF and ASF are haemorrhagic diseases – causing excessive internal bleeding – with a near-100% mortality rate.
India does a livestock census every five years. The 20th was in 2019. In the 18th, 19th and 20th livestock census, pig numbers dropped by 17.6%, 7.54% and 12.0% respectively. In western UP, a single pig can fetch Rs 25k (£250), a significant sum for the communities (the lower Valmiki, Bhangi, and Musahar castes) involved, mostly landless and informally employed as daily wage earners.
The first suspected case of CSF can be traced back to 1944 in UP’s Aligarh. The Indian government estimates that this high mortality disease results in an annual loss of nearly Rs 430 crore (£43m). In contrast, ASF’s arrival in India is relatively recent, with the first detection occurring in northeastern states in April 2020. ASF has since spread across the country, and as per official records, pig farmers suffered a total loss of Rs 26.54 crore (£2.6m) until 2023. Research suggests that CSF could be responsible for 92.% of pig deaths in India.
Government failure in diagnosis and funding
A lack of proper diagnosis shrouds the true cause of India’s mass pig deaths - Indian government data doesn’t distinguish between CSF and ASF.
“Drastic” (according to The 30th Standing Committee on Agriculture) budget cuts to the nation’s animal disease control program (from Rs 298.40 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 194.45 crore in 2020-21) significantly hampered animal health initiatives in the country, including the CSF-CP. The National Animal Disease Reporting System budget fell to zero by 2020-21.
Despite facing a 100% mortality, piggeries received no government aid in 2020-21 when the CSF outbreaks were noticed. In the same period, with no funds for CSF-CP, not a single CSF vaccine was administered in the country.
Cow rearers had it good
At the same time, another cattle disease was troubling cow rearers in north India. The Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), a contagious viral infection, was spreading among cows. Cow ownership is traditionally the domain of upper / dominant castes.
According to the Reporters’ Collective, the central government made all-out efforts to prevent the spread of LSD in cows (which has a relatively low mortality rate).
Timely diagnosis, vaccination drives and revaccination campaigns were implemented. Even unspent budgets, in consultation with various stakeholders, were strategically redirected to further control the disease.
This resulted in significant control of LSD (100% LSD vaccination in ten states) within four years. The government is making efforts to prevent future outbreaks too. Nearly 35m LSD vaccines were given to cows since the start of 2024. Meanwhile, countless pig deaths due to ASF and CSF continue unabated.
In 2019, during the first LSD wave, assistance to states was suddenly increased to a six-year high of Rs 93.61 crore – a 321% increase from the previous year. Of this, Rs 10 crore was immediately sent to Odisha where the outbreak was first reported.
In an excellent investigative piece, the Reporters’ Collective points out how the policy response to help upper-caste, richer cow farmers contrasted with a lack of support for lower-caste, Dalit and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes pig farmers.
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The Bridge India Team
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About Bridge India: Bridge India is a progressive non-profit think tank dedicated to discourse on public policy. Bridge India is a company limited by guarantee Companies House number 15283062.