
DA collabs with LGUs on intensified fight vs ASF
IN an effort to fight the impact of African Swine Fever (ASF) and revitalize the country’s swine industry, strict surveillance and investigation and intensified coordination with the local government units (LGUs) will be enforced.
This was learned after the Department of Agriculture (DA) updated its National Zoning and Movement Plan for the Prevention and Control of ASF and implemented related initiatives under Administrative Circular No. 2, dated May 6, 2022.
Also, the DA launched its twin programs, the “Bantay ASF sa Barangay” (BABay ASF), to strengthen monitoring and control against ASF at the barangay level as well as the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) to hasten hog repopulation in ASF-affected areas.
Aside from these initiatives, the DA ,through the Bureau of Animal Industry-National African Swine Fever Prevention and Control Program of the Department of Agriculture (BAI-NASFPCP), formally kicked off last week its program “Ang Bagong Hamon kay Super Pig” Tour at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).
DA-BAI Deputy Program Coordinator Dr. Samuel Joseph Castro said that the program aims to disseminate accurate and relevant information on ASF and encourage the general public to take precautions against the spread of ASF in the country.
During the event, the BAI-NASFPCP introduced to the public its two mascots who will serve as beacons of awareness amid the ASF outbreak in the Philippines – Dr. V and Super Pig, the latter being a comic icon created in 1999 for awareness campaigns on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
“Sini-symbolize ni Super Pig ‘yong robust swine industry po natin na tinutulungan po nating makabangon. Si Dr. V, sinisimbolo naman po niya ang responsableng beterinaryo na may integridad, nagre-report ‘pag mayroon siyang nakitang sakit ng baboy o iba pang sakit, at nilalabanan ang ASF,” Castro said.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) described ASF as “a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs” with no available vaccine, causing a 100 percent mortality rate. Although deemed not dangerous to humans, the virus can survive on surfaces, pork, and pork products; hence, “human behaviors can play an important role in spreading this pig disease across borders if adequate measures are not taken.”
Dr. Castro reported that there are currently 11 regions, 21 provinces, 54 municipalities and cities, and 137 barangays with active ASF cases.
Meanwhile, Dr. Sammy Santos of the Parañaque City Veterinary Services Office assured that they will strongly support DA’s efforts to prevent the spread of ASF and other communicable diseases. The NASFPCP, along with mascots Super Pig and Dr. V, roamed around the PITX and handed out information campaign materials on ASF to travelers, vendors, and passersby.
Aside from dissuading travelers from transporting pork and pork products, the tour also reminded the public to buy the said products from meat dealers with Meat Inspection Certificates (MIC) and from meat importers with Certificates of Meat Inspection (COMI) – both of which are issued by the DA’s National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).
Farmers and hog raisers present during the event were also prompted to always ensure cleanliness on their farms and to regularly monitor the health and condition of their pigs.
The Super Pig Tour, held in collaboration with the Parañaque City Veterinary Services Office, PITX, and the DA-Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division (DA-AFID), is set to visit various markets and locations nationwide to inform the public about ASF and to promote practices and initiatives that can help ward off the threats of ASF in the Philippines.