President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of Agriculture Secretary William Dar to increase the financial assistance given to backyard raisers whose hogs were culled due to the African Swine Fever (ASF), from P3,000 to P5,000 per head. This means previous recipients will receive an additional P2,000 per culled pig.
Secretary Dar said the President and fellow Cabinet members during their October 11, 2019, meeting also approved other measures to contain and prevent the spread of ASF to adjoining areas in Luzon. These include:
- Imposition of “lock down” procedures in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga, cordoning validated areas as “ASF-infected zones,” for easier movement control of pigs and pork products; and
- Apprehension and filing of cases against hog raisers and traders caught selling or buying and transporting live hogs, slaughtering ASF-infected pigs and selling ASF-tainted pork products.
The DA chief earlier appealed to traders not to buy ASF-affected hogs, and likewise backyard raisers not to sell ASF-sick pigs, as such malpractices are punishable by law.
“We must step up our surveillance and monitoring of transport of live pigs as well as pork products,” Secretary Dar said.
ASF poses no threat to human health, although it is very infectious among pigs, and can easily spread from one farm to another if not properly managed. The disease has no known vaccine yet.
Aside from the newly-approved measures, the DA has been advising the implementation of strict biosecurity measures and the 1-7-10 protocol in ASF-affected areas, in tandem with local government units, the military, police, swine industry groups and other government agencies as part of their combined efforts to effectively manage, control and contain ASF.
These include frequent cleaning and disinfection of farms, transport vehicles, and improved husbandry practices and production systems such as prohibition on swill feeding.
Consumers are also advised to buy pork only with the seal of the DA-National Meat Inspection Service, and from reputable meat shops. ###
———–
Reference:
Noel Ocampo Reyes
DA Spokesperson
and A/Sec for Communications and Media Affairs
Mobile: 09284889686
