Heat wave to affect Filipino pork supply

MANILA, Philippines – The heat wave in the country has adverse effects on the supply of pork, a vital aspect of the Filipino diet, animal health experts said.

The Philippines being a tropical country, where relative humidity ranges from 71 to 85 percent and the average year-round temperature is 26.6°C, animal health experts said heat stress conditions pose serious challenges to livestock raisers throughout the year and could have serious consequences on the country’s pork and meat supply, security and safety.

They cited a study by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), on climate change in the Philippines, which showed that the country’s climate situation will further deteriorate in the future. 

The study noted that there has been an increase in the annual average temperature by 0.65°C. The climate trend was analyzed using available data from 1951 to 2009, with the average for the period 1971–2000 as reference value.

Evaluating the trends of extreme daily temperatures, there is an indication that there will be a significant increase in the number of hot days and decrease in the number of cool nights.

The study also predicted that in the next 30 to 40 years, the entire Philippines will get warmer, with annual average temperatures in all areas expected to rise by 0.9°C to 1.1°C in 2020 and by 1.8°C to 2.2°C in 2050.

Glen Ibañez, head of technical services for Univet Nutrition and Animal Healthcare Co. Inc. (UNAHCO), said the prospect of prolonged high temperatures is a serious cause for concern among swine raisers not only in the Philippines but around the world.

UNAHCO spearheaded the launch of the National Swine Nutrition Month 2016 this May recently with a forum and press briefing at the Serye restaurant in Quezon City led by UNAHCO president and COO Ricardo Alba and Sen. Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate committee on agriculture and food.

“Pigs subjected to high ambient temperature and humidity become heat stressed,” Alba said. “In a recent article published in Animal Production Science, experts from Iowa State University and Virginia Tech said heat stress in pigs has far-reaching consequences leading to significant economic losses.”

Ibañez, citing the article, said economic losses “will result from poor sow performance, reduced and inconsistent growth, decreased carcass quality, mortality, morbidity, and processing issues caused by less rigid fat (also known as flimsy fat).”

He said pigs suffering from heat stress will also experience reduced intestinal integrity and barrier function, reduced feed intake, increased systemic endotoxemia and inflammation problems, reduced daily gains and reduced lean tissue accretion, lower fertility rates and behavioral changes.