PROTECT. A hog farm in Antique, which is one of the top swine producers in Western Visayas. Agriculture Regional Field Office Regulatory Division head for Western Visayas Dr. Jonic Natividad said on Friday (June 16, 2023) there is a need to immediately know the cause of swine deaths in the municipality of Hamtic to protect other growers in Antique. (PNA file photo by Antique Provincial Veterinarian)
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is pushing for immediate findings on the cause of swine deaths in the municipality of Hamtic in Antique to protect hog raisers.
“They have yet to submit specimens for ASF (African swine fever) confirmation (while) their quarantine period that will end on June 19,” said Regional Field Office Regulatory Division head Dr. Jonic Natividad in an interview on Friday.
Natividad said that based on the protocol provided by the Bantay ASF (African swine fever) sa Barangay (BABay ASF) program, the quick response team of the local government unit (LGU) has to submit samples immediately to the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RADDL) upon detection of signs and symptoms.
The Hamtic Municipal Agriculture Office has recorded 906 hog mortalities in 18 of the town’s 47 villages from May 28 until June 15.
The LGU targets to submit specimens to the RADDL upon the completion of the 14-day lockdown it imposed since June 2.
“Sampling is not necessarily to confirm but also to check if the disease exists, for early detection,” he said, adding that based on mortalities and rate of deaths, one can’t help but doubt that it is ASF although there are other diseases like pneumonia and cholera.
Natividad said that somehow the LGU has gradually contained and mitigated the immediate spread of the disease that is causing swine deaths with their strategy.
The head of the regulatory divisions said they are just waiting for feedback on the letter that was sent by the DA regional office to Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao and Mayor Julius Ronald Pacificador to allow them to conduct coordination meeting and surveillance activities.
He said that if the deaths were due to ASF, then they can have the proper response and the green zones or those free from animal disease can be properly managed.
Antique is third or fourth in the region in terms of hog production, Natividad added.
There are two associations of hog raisers that are recipients of DA assistance for their feed mill project.
Meanwhile, he said that the province of Capiz is now under a state of calamity due to ASF through Resolution No. 464 which was passed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on June 13, 2023.
The declaration, he said, gives the local government power to utilize necessary funds to respond to the disease.
It can also help DA in coming up with a project to help Capiz resolve the ASF and recover the soonest possible time.
Based on the resolution, 242 out of the 473 barangays in the province are affected by the ASF as of June 6 since their first case was detected on Feb. 24 this year, as per data from the Provincial Veterinarian’s Office. (PNA)
