French winemakers are currently grappling with the impact of freezing temperatures that are threatening to decimate their harvests of grapes. According to a report in “The Guardian,” published on its web site on April 9, farmers across France have resorted to lighting thousands of small fires and candles near their vines or fruit trees to ward off frost. Paris immediately declared an “agricultural disaster” so the government could begin offering financial support to farmers.
Declaring “agricultural disaster” would fast-track the provision of assistance to affected French farmers as they struggle to salvage whatever they can from their farms to survive. Banks and insurance companies had even been asked to join in the efforts to rescue grape farmers hit by the frost. Paris had to act fast because winemaking is one of the major sources of France’s export earnings.
The resolve shown by Paris is what the Philippines needs if it really wants to eliminate animal diseases, such as African swine fever, that have disrupted local hog and poultry production. ASF, in particular, is decimating our hog farms and has substantially reduced domestic pork supply. As the supply shortfall caused by the deadly pig disease is pegged at 400 million kilograms or 400,000 metric tons, the country is expected to double its pork imports this year (See, “PHL pork imports seen doubling on ASF impact,” in the BusinessMirror, April 12, 2021).
Until now, the proposal to declare a state of national emergency, which would have allowed concerned government agencies to tap funds for fighting ASF, has yet to secure the approval of the President. The Department of Agriculture said the declaration would pave the way for the upgrading of biosecurity measures, which are critical in winning the war against ASF. The swine industry would also need resources to help farmers get back on their feet and repopulate their farms. This is the best way for the country to reduce its reliance on imports.
The deadly pig disease has already spread to 12 regions, 40 provinces, 466 cities and municipalities and 2,425 barangays (See, “ASF spreading in Eastern Visayas, Bicol towns–government report,” in the BusinessMirror, February 24, 2021). Even remote island-provinces, such as Catanduanes, which could be reached by ships and plane, were not spared by ASF. The spread of the disease has resulted in the loss of over 3 million heads of pig, causing the spike in pork prices and other commodities that were tapped by consumers as alternatives to pig meat.
As it is, the resources of concerned agencies, particularly those securing our borders, to fend off ASF are not enough (See, “Direct tariff revenues to investments in biosecurity–Rep. Salceda,” in the BusinessMirror, April 7, 2021). These agencies need funds to roll out various initiatives, such as purchasing equipment and beefing up their manpower, to improve the system for inspecting meat imports. The national government must keep in mind that these initiatives will not only stop ASF in its tracks but also help the Philippines prepare against emerging animal diseases.