Why is Assam govt culling thousands of pigs?

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered the culling of around 12,000 pigs by October end, the Hindustan Times has reported. The state's piggery sector, already badly hit due to Covid-19 lockdown, is now battling for survival with the spread of incurable African swine fever. The disease has killed around 18,000 pigs in the state since first case was reported in May. The report added that the pig farm owners insist the government’s figure is conservative and that over 100,000 pigs have died of the disease. There is no vaccine for the disease and it has a mortality rate of 90% to 100%.