Marcos wants hog breeding facilities tested for ASF

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has ordered the office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas to test all hog breeding facilities in the region for African swine fever (ASF).

The order was issued on Sunday after the DA-Western Visayas reported during a briefing in Bacolod City that ASF cases have been recorded in the region, particularly in Iloilo, according to the Office of the Press Secretary.

Marcos, who is also DA chief, said testing all hog breeding farms for ASF is one of the most effective ways to control the infection.

Reports that ASF is spread through mosquitos is a major challenge in controlling the disease, he said.

All measures to contain ASF are in place, including banning pork products from infected areas, Marcos said.

Last week, the municipality of Oton in Iloilo was declared a red zone after some hogs tested positive for ASF.

Iloilo and the entire region of Western Visayas were among the last few areas in the country that remained ASF-free since the first reported outbreak in July 2019.

No significant impact

Meanwhile, the declaration of a state of calamity in the towns of Oton and San Miguel in Iloilo due to ASF has no significant impact on the supply and price of pork, stakeholders said yesterday.

“The ASF cases in San Miguel and Oton have no significant impact on the current pork supply, and will not affect pork retail prices in the coming months, especially toward the holiday season,” Rolando Tambago, president of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, said in a text message to The STAR.

Even as the ASF cases in Iloilo do not significantly affect the total pork supply, Tambago said the continued spread of ASF is a concern that everyone must address.

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) echoed Tambago’s statement as it cited efforts of local government units to curb the spread of the disease.

“The declaration of a state of calamity is intended to equip the municipal and provincial governments with all resources at their disposal to combat the spread of ASF,” SINAG executive director Jayson Cainglet said.

He said prices should not drastically move after the declaration of a state of calamity.

“Processors have long abandoned the local hog industry, so there should be no impact on the prices of ham and other processed meat,” he said.