TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (August 20)—The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) has cautioned the public on the presence of the African swine fever (ASF) discovered in at least four towns in the province of Isabela.
Narciso Edillo, DA-Region 2 executive director, said the new cases of ASF were recorded in the towns of Quezon, Roxas, Aurora and Luna.
Edillo said the ASF cases were first discovered in Quezon town during the last part of July and from there it started to spread to neighboring three towns.
“With the help of local government units affected, we immediately conducted blood sampling and culling of affected pigs in those areas,” he added.
Edillo said their activities to combat ASF resulted in the identification of 432 heads, which were already culled.
“In all of the four towns, eight villages were affected by the disease affecting 79 farmers,” he bared.
According to Dr. Manuel Galang Jr., DA-Region 2 veterinarian, the newly recorded ASF cases might have resulted from the failure to implement farm biosecurity measures by livestock raisers.
“With the presence of this dreaded virus attacking our livestock, there is a need to continue with effective implementation of checkpoint protocols in the Cagayan Valley region,” he said.
Maintain cleanliness
Galang advised hog raisers not to use leftovers and to stop the practice of swill feeding while maintaining cleanliness in the areas where they raise their livestock.
He said it was prohibited to sell the meat of infected pigs, as well as the use of such meat in processed products such as tocino and longganisa, among other products.
“We are now also monitoring the towns of Mallig, Ramon and Echague in Isabela, which may have been affected by the ASF based on reports we have been receiving from the provincial government,” he added.
He said the DA had been coordinating with local governments and livestock raisers for more blood sampling and surveillance.
Indemnification
Meanwhile, Edillo said they already completed the distribution of the first batch indemnification fund worth P5.7 million to ASF-affected farmers.
He noted that a total of 1,156 recipients in connection with the depopulation of 2,758 hogs owned by 189 individuals among the 430 identified farmers.
Edillo is appealing to those who are also affected to wait for the release of the second batch indemnification fund of more than P8 million from the DA central office. TMT