CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY--The African swine fever (ASF) cases affecting a number of hogs in Iligan City have been "contained effectively," an official of the Department of Agriculture in Region 10 (DA-10) said Monday.
DA-10 Regional Technical Director Carlota Madriaga said the ASF was quickly contained because of the proactive measures implemented by local government units, including faster information dissemination protocols that have been implemented since late last year.
"Thanks to the efforts of Cagayan de Oro City Hall and its neighboring local governments in imposing stringent containment measures, the entry of African swine fever had been delayed substantially, and when it did, it was contained effectively," Madriaga said in vernacular.
Madriaga also lauded the Northern Mindanao Hog Raisers Association (NorMinHog) for its "active support of the national government’s identification, elimination, and compensation campaign".
Northern Mindanao’s pork supply, she said, can still last up to 669 days.
"The region can still supply their neighboring local governments in Mindanao as well as Visayas and Luzon,’ she added.
The city government's veterinarian, Dr. Lucien Anthony Acac, said they will continue to monitor the city’s checkpoints to bar the entry of pork products from areas with confirmed ASF infections.
Acac also reminded backyard hog raisers to avoid the practice of swill feeding in order not to expose their hogs to infection.
"We also seek public cooperation by not buying meat from questionable suppliers," Acac said. (PNA)
