CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Department of Agriculture-10 (DA-10) said Monday it has activated its multisectoral task force to address the entry of the African swine fever (ASF) into the country.
This after Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar has confirmed Monday morning that 14 of 20 samples from sick pigs in local piggeries tested positive for ASF.
Juliet Araos, chief of DA-10’s regulatory division, said the Regulatory Law Enforcement Council (RLEC) has already been put in place even before Dar’s announcement.
The RLEC is composed of DA and its concerned units, such as the Bureau of Animal Industry, health department, Philippine National Police, local government units, and other government agencies.
Araos said the quarantine personnel are now monitoring the movement of imported meats in seaports and airports.
She said the DA has focused on disseminating information to all industry stakeholders, from the huge livestock growers down to the backyard hog raisers.
Araos said that although the ASF cannot be transferred to humans, meat from infected pigs is not fit for consumption.
In a separate interview, Dr. Katherine Mae Caterial, president of the Philippine Veterinary Medical Association in the region, said small hog farmers that practice “swill feeding” or those that feed their livestock with food scraps are the most vulnerable to the ASF infection as it can help spread the disease due to the unsanitary method of feeding.
Although there is no vaccine for the ASF, Caterial said biosecurity measures can deter the ASF from spreading further.
Biosecurity is a set of
procedures intended to protect humans or animals against
diseases or harmful biological agents.
She said measures, such as disinfection of humans and vehicles in quarantine centers can help contain the virus from infecting healthy livestock.
During a recent forum on ASF held here, Jake Sepe, a quarantine officer, said Bukidnon as the breeding center for local livestock, must be protected from the virus.
Roads going to Bukidnon have at least two quarantine stations with foot bath and tire dip facilities in place for passengers and vehicles. Sepe said that since the Philippines is an archipelagic country, there is still time to contain the ASF.
“We can still control it [from spreading] by compartmentalizing so that the ASF would not spread from island to island,” he said.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority data, Northern Mindanao was the third-highest in hog production, from January to March, with 50.26 thousand metric tons. Central Luzon was the highest producer at 111.60 thousand MT, followed by Calabarzon with 92.2 MT.
Plea
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Tuesday appealed to travelers not to bring pork to Negros Occidental in the wake of the confirmed cases of ASF in Luzon.
“Again, we have to be alert. We’re asking our Negrenses, especially if you have relatives coming home from Manila or even from out of the country, please don’t bring pork. Let’s just buy local pork,” the governor said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Lacson chairs the Provincial ASF Task Force, which he formed last month to ensure the protection of the P6-billion swine industry of the province.
Negros Occidental is the Philippines’s top backyard swine producer, figures from the PSA showed.
On Monday, the DA confirmed that ASF caused the depopulation of more than 7,000 hogs in Bulacan and Rizal farms last month.
The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) also called for sustained vigilance among Negrenses against ASF.
Dr. Renante Decena, provincial veterinarian, said shippers and travelers should follow quarantine procedures and refrain from visiting swine farms in Luzon.
“Don’t bring in pork and pork products from Luzon,” Decena said, pointing out that as there are already positive cases in the area, the traveling public is now possible carriers of the disease.
“Shoes and clothing, or even indirect contact with swine farms infected of the swine fever, might carry the virus going to Negros,” he added.
In Executive Order 2019-23, Lacson directs the ASF task force to carry out the proper implementation of the ASF prevention and control measures, enhance biosecurity practices in all ports of entry and swine production facilities, and coordinate and cooperate with the appropriate national government agencies in case of a suspected outbreak.
The body is also tasked to enhance biosecurity practices in all ports of entry and swine production facilities, conduct initial disease investigation and institute outbreak control protocols in case of a suspected outbreak, and impose closure of any farm confirmed to be infected with ASF.
Records of PVO showed that Negros Occidental has a current annual swine production of 510,000 heads from both backyard and commercial raisers.