President Duterte has approved the increase in the financial assistance given to backyard raisers whose hogs were culled due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) from P3,000 to P5,000 per head, according to William Dar, secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
In a statement, Dar said the President and the Cabinet members approved the increase last October 11 alongside other measures to contain and prevent the spread of the disease to adjoining areas in Luzon.
The DA said the imposition of lockdown procedures in Bulacan and Pampanga is also being implemented. Areas validated as ASF-infected zones have been cordoned off for easier movement control of pigs and pork products.
Apprehension and filing of cases against hog raisers and traders caught selling or buying and transporting live hogs, slaughtering ASF-infected pigs and selling ASF-tainted pork products will also be in effect.
In its latest count, the DA has culled over 20,000 pigs affected by ASF in more than 20 barangays in Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga and Quezon City.
