The Department of Agriculture (DA) dismissed suggestions to declare a state of national calamity in response to the recent surge in African swine fever (ASF) infections.
DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said on the sidelines of the agency’s budget hearing at the House of Representatives on Monday enhanced border controls, an emergency inoculation program and increased indemnification measures should suffice in managing the outbreak effectively.
Tiu Laurel said the current ASF situation would not disrupt pork supply or drive up prices unlike in 2019 when initial response
involved extensive lockdowns of entire towns.
The DA said its new strategy in containing ASF focuses on isolating only those farms that test positive for the disease. It is also setting up livestock checkpoints to prevent the transport of diseased animals suspected to have abetted the latest spread of ASF.
The agency said the immediate purchase of 10,000 doses of ASF vaccines for emergency inoculation in affected areas will also help mitigate the impact on the hog industry of the latest infection surge.
On top of this, there will be a national controlled trial of the vaccine where 600,000 doses will be used in areas with active ASF cases. This will be implemented beginning the last quarter of the year.
Tiu Laurel said the DA also increased indemnification for farmers who surrender infected pigs, with compensation significantly raised from a maximum of P5,000 to P12,000 per pig to encourage hog raisers to report and cull diseased animals instead of selling them.
The DA said its hog repopulation program has also helped minimize the impact of ASF on the swine industry’s output based on latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
It noted importation of pork is expected to stabilize supply and prices of meat products despite the current spread of the disease.
Tiu Laurel said P150 million is readily available for ASF response, including funds for purchasing vaccines and supporting the increased indemnification program.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry showed that as of August 8, active cases of ASF in the country are contained in 11 regions, 22 provinces, 64 municipalities and 251 barangays.
Based on DA’s monitoring of public markets in the National Capital Region, prevailing retail price as of Monday ranges from P290 to P370 per kg for kasim and from P330 to P420 per kg for liempo.
