The number of sows that could be affected by African swine fever (ASF) in the country could reach up to 750,000 sows if biosecurity measures in farms would not be intensified to combat the virus, a United Kingdom-based company said.
Pig Improve Company (PIC) Philippines General Manager Vino Borromeo said this could be the likely scenario if ASF continues to spread across the country. This, he said, would cause the supply shortage to widen and prices to increase.
Borromeo added that bringing back the country’s domestic supply back to the 2019 level “may take at least 10 years.” He said the dreaded virus that causes the pig disease will remain and continue to spread in the country until an “effective ASF vaccine arrives.”
PIC is the swine division of Genus plc., a British-based company that seeks to pioneer animal genetic improvement to help nourish the world, according to its web site.
“The shortfall will fast track the transformation of the industry to adopt a more modern system of farming, put technology into the process, and innovate solutions to be more efficient and more conscious of the biosecurity that we need to put in place to protect herds,” Borromeo said in a statement on Tuesday.
In the same statement, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) said Filipino hog raisers “need to improve their risk management standards and sustainability consciousness” regarding ASF.
The bank pointed out that local hog raisers must “push for a stricter biosecurity program” to be able to curb the impact and eventually eradicate ASF.
“The key to surviving this hog epidemic is a well-studied and properly implemented biosecurity program that will help hog raisers set up practicable measures to prevent or control the spread of infection within a pig farm,” said BPI Sustainable Development Finance (SDF) Head Jo Ann Eala.
BPI Head of Agribusiness Jun Ruba said until a “proper biosecurity discipline is implemented” it would be “really tough” for the country to repopulate its pig herd and ensure that new stocks don’t get hit by ASF again.
“We’re all hoping that we can put more controls through the combined efforts of different agencies and members of the industry who can help find the solution,” he added.
Image credits: Department of Agriculture Region 12