Culled pigs due to African swine fever (PNA file photo)
LEGAZPI CITY – A total of 1,245 hogs were culled this week in the towns of Calabanga and Bombon in Camarines Sur after several pigs that died there were tested positive for African swine fever (ASF), the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Bicol said on Thursday.
In an interview, Emily Bordado, DA-Bicol spokesperson, said 96 hogs were culled Wednesday night by veterinary personnel in the villages of Sta. Salud and San Vicente in Calabanga.
In Bombon where the ASF cases started, a total of 1,149 pigs were already culled in four villages, she added.
"The culled hogs were immediately buried in the towns' designated disposal pit -- a procedure engaged by veterinary authorities to prevent and contain the spread of the disease," she said.
Bordado said that some 225 backyard hog raisers were affected by the culling procedure.
Of the figure, 203 farmers are from Bombon while 22 are from Calabanga.
The DA will give PHP5,000 for every culled pig while the provincial government will give another PHP3,000 to each affected hog raiser.
The agency has declared a lockdown on the entry and exit of live pigs and processed meat products in the Bombon, Calabanga and Magarao in Camarines Sur due to ASF cases. (PNA)
