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DA-10 assures no ASF in NorMin

By Ercel Maandig

February 12, 2020, 9:19 pm

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- There is no reported case of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Northern Mindanao amid tighter measures to prevent the contagious disease from entering the region, an official of the Department of Agriculture (DA-10) said Wednesday.

“As of this time, Northern Mindanao is African Swine Fever (ASF) free”, said OIC-Executive Director Carlene C. Collado, also the chairperson of the inter-agency task force against ASF in the region.

Collado said ASF remains a serious threat in the region since the hog industry ranked third nationwide in terms of production volume in 2018, producing around 196,623 metric tons.

She said the task force has approved four resolutions endorsed by the Regional Advisory Committee for Animal Diseases, Control and Emergency (RAC-ADCE) to deploy the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police in priority areas and identified entry points throughout the region.

Aside from the uniformed personnel, the resolutions also requested the local government executives to augment additional manpower for the 24/7 operation of the checkpoints and quarantine sites.

In addition, she said the DA has also been requested to provide stand-by indemnification funds, additional requirements for border protection on both air and sea ports, and sniffing dogs for use by the Bureau of Animal Industry-National Veterinary Quarantine Services in Northern Mindanao. (PNA)

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