14 swine fever outbreaks reported in Mindanao

THE PHILIPPINES has logged 14 new African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks, according to the latest report by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

In the latest report to the World Organization for Animal Health, BAI Director Ronnie D. Domingo said that an additional 7,518 pigs were culled due to the new outbreaks.

Among ASF-affected areas, Magsaysay, Davao del Sur accounted for 1,536 of the culled animals, followed by Magpet, North Cotabato with 1,345 and Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur at 1,198.

At the low end of the cull totals were Makilala, North Cotabato (45), followed by Davao City (59), and Glan, Sarangani (81).

Other areas where ASF was also detected were Sta. Maria, Jose Abad Santos, Bansalan, and Matanao, Davao del Sur; Panabo City, Davao del Norte; and President Roxas, Arakan, and Kidapawan City, North Cotabato. In a virtual briefing Tuesday, Mr. Domingo said that as of Sept. 18, around 344,888 hogs have been culled as a precautionary measure since the disease first surfaced in the Philippines in 2019.

He added that backyard raisers that surrender their hogs will receive P5,000 per head as indemnification.

Separately, Mr. Domingo said the national pork inventory in cold storage was estimated at 46,249 metric tons (MT) as of Sept. 21, including about 37,848 MT worth of imports.

Mr. Domingo said inventories were higher than the year-earlier total of 39,120 MT.

“The country has enough pork,” Mr. Domingo said.

Mr. Domingo said the dressed chicken inventory in cold storage was 73,127 MT on Sept. 21, with imported chicken accounting for 39,484 MT.