REGION 6 BACKYARD HOG RAISERS WORRY

WV still ASF-free but stakeholders not taking chances

the Sibalom Integrated Livestock and Poultry Raisers Association (SILPRA) in Antique.

A S F i s a h i g h l y contagious hemorrhagic viral disease that spreads rapidly i n pigs. Since there is no known vaccine against it yet – sick pigs die in two to 10 days – ASF is destructive to the swine industry.

SILPRA has consistently j oined programs of the Provincial Veterinary O f f i c e ( P V O ) a n d Provincial Agriculture Office ( PAO) of Antique. In their backyards, Pena said, they practice regular disinfection.

Hog raisers with trucks used to transport hogs also make sure their vehicles are decontaminated, Pena added. “No need i- disinfect na hambalan

aware. nga ila salakyan kay s i l a mismo

gid,” Pena Kinahanglan kon ikaw tag- added. iya, strikto ka

SILPRA has more than 400 hog- farmer members not only f rom Sibalom but also from the towns of San Remigio, Belison, Bugasong, Hamtic, Anini- y, Tibiao, and Barbaza. Most of them are backyard hog raisers.

T h e p r o v i n c i a l government of Antique has formed a taskforce against ASF. It is composed of the Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, PVO, and PAO among others.

However, since there is not enough personnel to man the various entry and exit points in the province, the provincial government tapped local government units – even the barangays.

“One of the strategies is to involve the barangays, barangay officials and barangay tanods,” Pena said. “

sin- Kay sila sa dalum, sila

barangays so ang nakabalo kon o ang ma- check gid,” she added. gasulod sa ila

Mea n whi l e , e v e n i n l i vestock markets, necessary precautions against ASF are also being observed.

For i nstance, at t he Leon Livestock Oksyon Market ( LOM) i n Leon, I l oil o, disinfection i s strictly being enforced.

According to Rolando C a mariosa, manager of LOM, t hey c onduct disinfection before and after auctions.

Prior to hog sellers’ e nt r y t o t he a ucti on market, they are required to present a disinfection certificate issued by their municipal agriculture officer.

Daily, there are around 15 t o 20 s wine being brought to t he auction market. The h i g h e s t recorded was 150 heads.

Compared to last year, daily market- goers this year plummeted as there was not much volume of swine heads, Camariosa said.

Western Visayas, still ASF- f r e e , has a P20- bi l l i on hog i ndustry, 80 percent of which i s composed of backyard hog raisers.

There are also around 10 livestock/ hog raisers associations in the region.

On Feb. 15, a total of 20 hog vans containing 1,600 heads of s wine were shipped to Metro Manila from the Iloilo Port.

T h e D e p a r t m e n t of Agriculture ( DA) i n Western Visayas provided t ransport t o t he l ocal raisers.

Ac c o r d i n g t o t h e DA, t h i s was a mong i t s i n i t i a t i v e s t o “a l l a y s o a r i n g p r i c e s o f p o r k a n d b y - p r o d u c t s ” b e c a u s e o f t h e A S F o u t b r e a k s .

R e mely n R e c o t e r, D A - 6 d i r e c t o r , s a i d t h e h o g s t r a n s p o r t e d w e r e f r o m t h e b a c k y a r d r a i s e r s i n t h e p r o v i n c e s o f A k l a n , C a p i z , A n t i q u e , a n d I l o i l o .

T h e b i g g e s t v o l u me o f h o g s c a me f r o m t h e S I L P R A i n Antique, Recoter added.

T h e l i v e h o g s approximately valued at P24 million will be brought directly to slaughterhouses and will be sold in different Metro Manila public markets.

“The shipment is part of the ‘ Whole of Nation’ measures to revive the hog industry and reduce pork prices. This is part of the supply chain, mobilizing stocks from surplus areas aside from the transport support and price ceiling,” Recoter added./