The rapid increase in population has led to the expansion in animal production not only in the Philippines but also in other Asian countries. As output expanded, so did the outbreaks of animal diseases, such as avian influenza (AI), foot and mouth disease, and swine flu. These outbreaks have killed hundreds of millions of animals and crippled poultry and hog industries.
Luckily for the Philippines, it was spared from AI, at least for 14 years, after the virus resurfaced in Asia. Experts said the country’s climate and its topography allowed the Philippines to dodge the AI bullet. The threat, however, was just around the corner simply because the country’s borders remained open to products from AI-affected areas.
The government made good use of the time it was AI-free by crafting a manual that would guide authorities and other stakeholders in the event of an outbreak. Despite this, the government still encountered problems in implementing interventions under the manual after the virus struck a farm in Pampanga in 2017. For instance, in the first few days after the AI outbreak was announced, the Department of Agriculture (DA) was ill-prepared to handle the immediate culling of chicken, as indicated in the manual, forcing officials to seek the help of the military.
Two years after the bird flu outbreak, the livestock and poultry sector is again facing another nightmare, this time in the form of a “mysterious” disease killing hogs. The DA would not identify the disease, preferring to wait for the results of confirmatory tests from an undisclosed institution, but Taiwan suspects it is ASF (See, “Amid suspected African Swine Fever outbreak in PHL, Taiwan to check all carry-on bags of Filipino travelers,” in the BusinessMirror, August 18, 2019). Pending the results of these tests, backyard hog raisers will have to brace for tougher times ahead as the uncertainty is killing the appetite of consumers for pork (See, “Raisers, retailers fear ‘mysterious’ hog disease,” in the BusinessMirror, August 20, 2019).
The spread of this “mysterious” pig disease should serve as a wake-up call for our policy-makers. The government can no longer hold off investments in animal disease prevention and control. This is because animal diseases, such as AI and African swine fever, have the potential to wipe out the gains of the livestock and poultry sector in recent years. The spread of these diseases could also disrupt food supply and raise prices and force the government to rely on foreign markets to fill the country’s pork requirements.
We call on the government to set aside funds to strengthen the capability of the local livestock and poultry sector to fight animal diseases. Hog raisers have been urging the government for years to set up state-of-the-art animal diagnostic laboratories that would ensure the prompt diagnosis of emerging animal diseases. The government should now consider the hog raisers’ appeal as it is less costly to prevent the spread of diseases than to clean up and disinfect afflicted farms.
As outbreaks of animal diseases have been increasing in recent years, policy-makers should now establish a compensation scheme for poultry growers and hog raisers and expand agricultural insurance. Backyard raisers, who do not have the huge resources of their commercial counterparts, will benefit from this scheme and allow them to get back on their feet. The government should also set aside emergency funds that the DA can tap in cases of outbreaks so it could implement its contingency plans immediately.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano