The Department of Agriculture (DA) fulfilled its commitment to revitalize the livestock industry through the launch of the Compartmentalization Program of swine farms, one of the major components of the DA’s Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) Program.

Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban and Vice Governor Mark Leviste led the launching and awarding ceremony held at the Regina R. Mandanas Memorial Dreamzone, Capitol Compound, Batangas City, on November 8, 2022.

As defined in the DA Memorandum Circular No. 25, Series of 2022, compartment means a swine subpopulation contained in one farm or farm cluster with a strictly supervised biosecurity management system where surveillance, enhanced biosecurity, and movement monitoring are applied.

The Compartmentalization program, which is undertaken with the cooperation of the University of Minnesota (UMN), Philippine College of Swine Practitioners (PCSP) and United Batangas Hog Raisers Association (UNIBAT) intends to provide a risk management strategy to protect animal health status, and protect business continuity thus ensuring food security.

Under the program, the compartment shall set clear guidelines for its operation, wherein the location of all its components and related units will be clearly identified. These include feed mills, slaughterhouses, and any rendering plants, or farms within compartments.

The province of Batangas was selected as a pilot area in the implementation of the program.

In 2021, Batangas City was also chosen as a pilot area for the Bantay ASF sa Barangay. Batangas was the first province to be cleared from African Swine Fever (ASF) that affected six of its municipalities.

The identified Candidates for Compartmentalization in Batangas are:

• EVG Farm (INSPIRE Project Multiplier Farm);

• International Training Center on Pig Husbandry in Lipa (INSPIRE Project Multiplier Farm);

• Victoria Farm (Main Breeder Farm);

• Europhil Swine Genetics (Semen Production);

• Lucky 4A Corporation or the  Clarc Feedmill, Inc. (Feeds);

• Univet Nutrition and Animal Healthcare Company/ UNAHCO (Feeds);

• First Manhattan (Slaughterhouse); and

• CPF Philippines (Integrated Operation)

During the event, the province of Batangas received ASF Test Kits from the DA-ICTPH as part of the compartmentalization surveillance system. ### (Kristel Joyce Merle, DA-AFID)