CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — The provincial government of Camiguin has ordered depopulation in the villages affected by African swine fever (ASF) and the immediate areas within 500 meters of the positive zone.
This as ASF is confirmed to have entered the island-province based on the provincial government’s report Wednesday, July 6. It said some pigs in several villages were infected with the virus.
“Thus, the provincial government requests for the full cooperation of those affected by the depopulation measures to be conducted,” said Xavier Jesus Romualdo, Camiguin governor.
He shared that test results conducted by the Department of Agriculture Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (DA-RADDL) on the blood samples taken from pigs of backyard raisers in the villages of Soro-Soro, Balbagon, and Poblacion in Mambajao town have ascertained the presence of ASF.
ASF, he added, was also reported in Brgy. Pandan on July 2 after blood samples from 18 pigs were taken last June 28 and sent to RADDL. The latter found out that eight tested positive.
Prior to this, 14 pigs have already died in the same village as early as June 22, prompting authorities to conduct an investigation.
Romualdo also issued Executive Directive No. 2 ordering all municipal mayors of the province to prohibit the transportation and movement of pigs and locally produced pork and pork products outside of each municipality, effective July 2, 2022.
Likewise, the conduct of swine treatment, artificial insemination, boar services, and other related services and activities by animal feed producers, animal health or pharmaceutical companies, and hog farmers or raisers, including their agents and employees, are temporarily prohibited under Executive Directive No. 3 dated July 4, 2022.
“All persons in the province who are raising pigs are requested not to engage in swill feeding or the feeding of food scraps to pigs and adopt appropriate biosecurity measures,” Romualdo said.
Carlene Collado, regional director of the Department of Agriculture (DA-10), said that coordination and ground activities to contain the disease were conducted with the Regional ASF Task Force and the local governments of Camiguin and Mambajao.
“Biosecurity measures should be strengthened on the remaining Green Zone Areas in the said province. Rest assured that the Regional ASF Task Force, concerned LGUs, private stakeholders are doing their best to isolate, eliminate and compensate, manage, contain and control this viral disease,” Collado said.
Pig raisers in the province in areas with no confirmed ASF cases are also highly encouraged to obtain livestock insurance from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, he added.
The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), he said, has also required hog raisers and buyers of pork and pork products to visit their office to obtain the clearance for slaughter.
PVO will conduct an inspection of the area where the hog is raised to check if there are ASF symptoms existing in the area.
Dr. Lordgin Gamo, the provincial veterinarian, said residents who want to slaughter their pigs must comply with requirements from the PVO.
“When they go to the slaughterhouse, they will bring the certificate showing that they were already inspected by PVO. When they reach the slaughterhouse, they will be inspected again, there will be an antemortem inspection in the slaughterhouse before the hog will be slaughtered. After slaughtering, there will be a post mortem inspection,” he explained.
Based on the PVO’s investigation, the spread of ASF in Camiguin could be attributed to a family who went to a fiesta in Misamis Oriental and allegedly brought with them food from the celebration.(davaotoday.com)
