53 La Union villages under red zone due to ASF

Malasiqui: Fifty-three villages from eight localities in the province of La Union were categorized as red zones due to the presence of African swine fever (ASF), a Department of Agriculture (DA) official said Friday.

These villages are in the towns of Balaoan, Luna, Bangar, Bacnotan, Santol, San Juan, Rosario, and San Fernando City.

Dr. Alfredo Banaag, DA 1 (Ilocos Region) regulatory division chief and ASF focal person, in a phone interview, said about 2,460 hogs have been culled as of Oct. 3 to contain the further spread of the virus, while 344 hog raisers are affected.

‘This means, these localities are under quarantine for ASF. Based on their respective ordinances, live hogs are not allowed to be transported outside of their jurisdiction. Depending on the local government units, (pigs that are of) marketable sizes are tested and if the test turned out negative, the pig will be immediately brought to the slaughterhouse,’ he said.

Banaag noted that the DA’s approach to ASF has changed.

In the past, the p
olicy is to cull all pigs within the 1 km. radius of the area where the infected animal is located.

However, since September, the policy on the radius was reduced to 500 meters.

Hogs that test positive for the virus will be culled but those that turn out negative need to be immediately brought to the area’s slaughterhouse and sold to consumers.

‘Although the culling is still dependent on the approval of the local chief executive, as they may decide to still implement total culling or for humanitarian and economic reasons, they may apply the test-and-destroy approach,’ Banaag said in Filipino.

The new approach to allow the selling of live hogs that test negative for ASF is to reduce the burden of ASF on the hog raisers, he said.

‘It is safe to consume these pork products that tested negative for ASF,’ he added.

Banaag, however, pointed out that while humans may not be affected by ASF, they can still be carriers of the virus.

‘We advise the people not to accept or buy pork products without knowing their
origin as they might be carrying the virus, which can be transmitted to other live hogs in their respective localities,’ he said in Filipino.

Banaag said affected hog raisers would receive indemnification from the DA for their culled hogs, amounting to PHP4,000 per head for piglets, PHP8,000 per head for growers and fatteners, and PHP12,000 per head for breeders.

‘They can claim the indemnification for a maximum of 20 heads per hog raiser,’ he said.

Banaag said they continue to conduct surveillance and testing in Ilocos Sur as seven localities in the province were placed under the red zone.

He, however, said that Ilocos Norte and Pangasinan continue to have zero ASF cases.

Source: Philippines News Agency