HOG MORTALITY. A border checkpoint in Hamtic town, Antique province ensures that hogs and pork products are not transported outside the town due to suspected African swine fever cases. The Hamtic Municipal Agriculture Officer said Thursday (June 15, 2023) that 18 out of 47 villages have reported hog mortalities. (Photo courtesy of Hamtic Municipal Police Station)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The municipality of Hamtic has reported PHP8 million in damage following the death of 906 hogs suspected to be cases of African swine fever (ASF).
Hamtic Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO) Isidro Ramos said in an interview Thursday that 18 out of the 47 villages of Hamtic have reported hog mortalities.
“The 18 barangays have already reported 906 hog mortalities since May 28 until Thursday,” he said.
He added that the latest two deaths reported on Thursday were from a farm in Barangay Malandog.
They are currently waiting for the Antique Provincial Veterinary Office to submit specimens to the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry for confirmation whether or not their swine have been infected by the ASF, the municipal agriculturist said.
Without confirmation, the local government unit temporarily provides farm owners antibiotics to treat their ailing hogs and disinfectants for foot baths as part of the ASF biosecurity measures.
Meanwhile, Ramos said 24/7 border controls are established in Barangays Inabasan and Malandog that are bordering the towns of Sibalom and San Jose, and Barangay Banawon, which is adjacent to the municipality of Tobias Fornier.
“Our personnel are augmented by municipal employees assigned in other offices,” he said, adding that they also have police personnel assisting them in the checkpoints.
The border control supports Executive Order No. 32 signed by Mayor Julius Ronald Pacificador on June 2 prohibiting the transfer/transportation and banning the slaughtering and sale of swine and pork outside of Hamtic until June 19.
MAO has already confiscated three newly slaughtered hogs for violating the order, he added.
“We also immediately buried the slaughtered hogs that we had confiscated so it could no longer be transported or sold to consumers,” Ramos said. (PNA)
