ILOILO – As the African swine fever (ASF) spreads, the provincial government seeks to strengthen backyard hog farms.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. cited learnings from Oton, the first town in the province and in Western Visayas to record ASF cases.
“All along we have been observing how ASF developed in Oton. Makita mo siya nga bisan nag-positive ang banwa, naglipas ang tiempo, indi muna ka dasig kag pervasive ang paglapta sang ASF,” said Defensor.
He added: “If we look at the figure, 35 percent ang nabuhin sa swine population sang munisipyo. Meaning nag-survive ang iban and the 35 percent indi lang na siya tungod nga gin-depopulate naton, it is because some were sold. May mga farms kita nga nag-negative nga nagbatu siya. So if we strengthen backyard, that is the way forward nga makabatu kita sa ASF.”
Defensor issued Executive Order (EO) No. 545 implementing “Pork Festival Kontra ASF” – a program on ASF prevention, its containment, hog depopulation, and recovery measures.
According to the governor, the festival is not just about eating pork but strengthening the resilience of hog farmers.
The festival has four components. One is the sustained and intensified perimeter security along the border of red (infected) and pink (buffer) zones to stop the spread of ASF to other zones.
“Let us prevent the expansion of the pink zone. As much as possible let us consume, with exercise of correct protocols, hogs and pork inside the red and the pink zones,” said Defensor.
The second component is renewed and intensified information and education campaign (IEC) on biosecurity measures and animal husbandry practices against ASF at the municipal/barangay level.
Other components are preemptive depopulation measures within the red (infected) and pink (buffer) zones to minimize, if not eliminate, potential ASF hosts, and intensified quarantine measures and protocols to facilitate recovery and repopulation.
The EO also stipulates the implementation of measures and activities such as the conduct of trainings/seminars on biosecurity measures and animal husbandry practices and on pork processing to create value chains, generate employment and business to strengthen the swine/pork industry.
The Pork Festival Kontra ASF events/activities are expected to facilitate the consumption of pork as an additional preemptive depopulation measure.
“We want to take this opportunity to realize and motivate the industry to add value to pork so we can create a value chain in the pork industry… We want to motivate the industry to process pork so we can add products to our economy and even to our tourism industry,” the governor added.
He said towns declared as red and pink zone areas are encouraged to hold pork festivals.
The municipalities of Oton, San Miguel, Leganes, and New Lucena have been declared red zones.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Under the EO, the governor also laid down the financial assistance for affected hog farmers in the province.
The amount of financial assistance will be based on the number of swine heads, whether sow, fattener or young swine (except suckling) such as follows:
* one to five hog heads – P7,000
* six to 10 hog heads – P10,000
* 11 to 15 hog heads – P15,000
* 16 to 20 hog heads – P20,000
* 21 to 25 hog heads – P25,000; and
* 26 hog heads and above – P30,000.
As part of the guidelines, the depopulation must be documented by the provincial / municipal / city ASF taskforce.
In the grant of financial assistance to swine farmers, only one farm owner (individual / family / company / cooperative) per farm shall be recognized as beneficiary.
Meanwhile, farms that conducted swine depopulation because of suspected or probable ASF cases but not under the supervision of the provincial / municipal / city ASF taskforce, shall not be qualified for financial assistance.
Defensor added that the financial aid to affected hog farmers will be taken from the approved P40-million supplemental budget of the province.
The list of beneficiaries will be based on the submission of the respective local government units affected by ASF./PN
