DISINFECTION. The province of Aklan receives a disinfection vehicle from the Department of Agriculture in January this year for African swine fever (ASF) prevention. The province recorded its first ASF-confirmed case on April 12. (Photo courtesy of DA Regional Agri-Fishery Information Section)
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas (DA-6) has reiterated its call for farmers to refrain from feeding their swine with food scraps to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF).
Jonic Natividad, chief of the DA Regulatory Division, confirmed on Friday that the animal disease was recorded in the province of Aklan, particularly in a backyard farm in Barangay Arcangel in the municipality of Balete.
A copy of the result of the convective polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) conducted by the DA Regional Animal Diseases and Diagnostic Laboratory (RADDL) furnished to the provincial government on April 12 showed that two samples from the upland barangay tested positive for the disease.
"In our talk with the provincial veterinarian, the possible source is through swill feeding," he said in an interview.
Natividad added that aside from the grated coconut, the owner of the affected swine also used scrap foods to feed their animals.
The official said that based on their analysis and previous experience, the food could have come from ASF-infected frozen foods that were brought to the area.
Nonetheless, he said that the province could handle the case since Aklan has availed of immediate response training conducted by the DA through the Agricultural Training Institute.
"Through the BAI (Bureau of Animal Industry), DA has provided them with a disinfectant vehicle worth around PHP3.5 million since Aklan is an entry point from Luzon," he added.
Natividad said that since they could not control the movement of people and could not easily open any baggage, then farmers were advised to just observe and practice proper biosecurity and say no to swill feeding.
Meantime, Balete Mayor Dexter M. Calizo as early as April 11 released Executive Order No. 06 placing the entire municipality on restricted status to hog traders and livestock transport carriers.
“No movement, shipment, and trading of live hogs and all kinds of pork products coming from Barangay Arcangel to other barangays in Balete and the rest of the province of Aklan is allowed,” the order said.
Based on statistics, Aklan has 110,000 pigs; 97 percent are backyard-raised.
Currently, only the provinces of Antique and Negros Occidental are considered ASF-free in Western Visayas. (PNA)
