ILOILO City – Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6 Regulatory Division chief Dr. Jonic Natividad urged hog raisers to be more aggressive in protecting the local industry from the African swine fever (ASF) by employing improved biosecurity measures.
They should also be more vigilant of online sellers offering cheap meat products including ham, sausages, and tocino, Natividad added.
“Every local government unit (LGU) in the region shall identify, support, and protect all pig farms from the backyard to commercial scale in their areas against ASF. Report any suspected animal mortality in your area,” he said.
Western Visayas is still free from the ASF disease, based on the latest National Movement and Zoning Plan for ASF issued by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BIA). The region is thus one of the leading exporting regions of hogs to Luzon provinces.
Since Region 6 is 151 percent self-sufficient on swine based on the second quarter data of the Philippine Statistics Authority, local raisers, with the intervention of the different local and Manila traders and various local government units in the region, were able to market around 23,367 heads of hogs worth P255.2 million to Luzon beginning June this year until recently, according to the BAI-Veterinary Quarantine Service.
“Our farmers have improved their income as they ship their surplus production to ASF red zone areas where the price of pork and pork products continue to escalate,” said Regional Executive Director Remelyn Recoter of DA.
Earlier this year, she instructed the LGUs to impose stricter measures to avoid entry of smuggled pork and pork products from areas with confirmed ASF outbreaks.
They also reactivated their Incident Command System to safeguard the entry points – both in airports and seaports – and to carry out proper disposal of confiscated or intercepted products.
“Eighty percent of our hog raisers are on a backyard-scale, and that is why we are campaigning to the farmers that they should avoid swill feeding and maintain proper farm sanitation,” said Recoter. (DA-6/PN)
