ANTIQUE – The highly contagious African Swine Fever (ASF) has penetrated the capital town of this province.
Cases of the hog disease were recorded in San Jose de Buenavista’s Barangay Bugarot which is adjacent to the town of Hamtic – the first in the province to record ASF infections.
“Sa pito ka mga baboy nga gin-blood sampling, lima ang negative kag duha ang positive (Of the seven hogs that underwent blood sampling, five tested negative while two were positive),” said Mayor Elmer Untaran in an interview with Panay News yesterday afternoon.
Untaran received the laboratory test results from the Department of Agriculture-Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (DA-RADDL) on Friday, June 23.
Samples were taken from four farms, and the two that tested positive for ASF came from one farm.
The capital town was also waiting for the test results of blood samples from three other barangays with hog deaths. More than 20 hogs died in barangays Bariri, Maybato North and Maybato South.
Untaran ordered the municipal agriculturist to talk to hog raisers within the 500-meter radius of the ASF index cases to have their hogs culled to avoid the spread of the disease.
He will issue an executive order today on the “test and destroy” approach to ASF containment.
Hog raisers were also assured they would receive assistance from the DA-Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.
As of June 26, a total of 451 breeders and 1,475 fatteners owned by 256 farmers have insurance coverage, as per the record of the San Jose de Buenavista Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO).
The public was also urged to immediately report suspected ASF cases to the San Jose de Buenavista MAO or the Provincial Veterinary Office.
Meanwhile, Hamtic was placed under a state of calamity due to ASF.
Some 1,787 hog deaths due to ASF were recorded, with losses pegged at P16,977,500 as of June 21.
The 28 ASF-hit Hamtic barangays are Pu-ao, Calala, Guintas, Caridad, EBJ, Poblacion 1, Poblacion 4, Funda, Poblacion 3, Dangcalan, Linaban, Ingwan-Batangan, Budbudan, Piapi I, Villavert-Jimenez, Asluman, Piapi II, Poblacion 2, Poblacion 5, Malandog, Mapatag, Bongbongan III, Bia-an, Igbical, Buhang, Nalihawan, Calacja, and Bonbongan I-II. (With a report from PNA)/PN
