The Department of Agriculture (DA) has opened its P5-million animal laboratory in Pampanga as part of improving the country’s diagnostic capacity against transboundary animal diseases (TADs), notably African swine fever (ASF).
The DA said the newly established Animal Disease Diagnostic Research Facility (ADDRF) inside the Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU) in the town of Magalang has the capability to detect ASF, avian influenza (AI) and Newcastle disease, among others.
“With Pampanga and Bulacan having the highest population density for poultry and tilapia, the facility will serve as a strategic center for animal disease control in Region 3,” it said on Monday.
The laboratory, which was established in collaboration with the Bureaus of Animal Industry and the Agricultural Research, “aims to elevate knowledge in animal disease and develop preventive measures.”
“The ADDRF, which supports the government’s campaign for food security, safety and sustainability, seeks to form a synergy of efforts and initiatives among animal health practitioners, through the use of modern equipment and leading technologies,” it said.
“The P5-million worth facility was established in support to the agriculture and fishery sector of Pampanga and nearby provinces, which include livestock, poultry, small and large ruminants, and fisheries,” it added.
The DA has been beefing up its quarantine power as a countermeasure against the spread of TADs, like ASF, that has resulted in the depopulation of over 140,000 hogs in Luzon, most of which are in Region 3.
In recent months, Central Luzon has been battling with the threat and impact of ASF as the fatal hog disease spread to over three provinces in the region, including Pampanga and Bulacan.
Aside from being the country’s rice granary, Central Luzon is also the top pork producer with an output of about 417,000 metric tons of hogs annually, accounting for about 20 percent of the country’s total production of about 2.3 million MT, according to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.
The region is also the leading region in terms of chicken output as it accounts for 36 percent of the total output, or about 700,000 MT annually, PSA data also showed. Central Luzon is the country’s second-top producer of chicken eggs with an annual output of about 120,000 MT.
In 2017, Pampanga suffered the brunt of the damage caused by AI, or bird flu, to the layer industry.