ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Department of Agriculture-9 (DA-9) will be utilizing hydrated lime compound retrieved from cement factories in containing the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) in this city.
Dr. Darwin Lloyd Sulay, DA-9 livestock program coordinator, said Wednesday the compound will be used to disinfect pigpens and piggeries in ASF-infected areas.
“The hydrated lime is an industrial waste from cement factories, which is a more effective disinfectant against ASF than the currently used agricultural lime,” Sulay said in a statement.
An ASF outbreak has been declared since April here, prompting the DA to place the area under the ASF red zone.
At least 10 of this city’s 98 barangays are affected by ASF infection, Dr. Mario Arriola, head of the Office of the City Veterinarian (OCVet), said Wednesday.
Swine deaths due to ASF have reached 943 with 234 city hog raisers so far affected.
Sulay said they will only spend for transporting the hydrated lime to this city for distribution to local hog raisers since it can be obtained free from cement factories in Cagayan de Oro City.
He noted that in livestock farming, hydrated lime is used as a disinfectant that produces a dry and alkaline environment in which bacteria do not multiply, resulting in an effective process to contain the hog virus. (PNA)
