SWINE DEATHS. A sow and its piglets infected by African swine fever are buried Hamtic town, Antique province on Saturday (June 24, 2023). Mayor Elmer Untaran, in an interview Monday (June 26), confirmed that the disease has already spread to San Jose de Buenavista. (Photo courtesy of Gali Magbanua)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The highly contagious African swine fever (ASF) has already spread to this province’s capital town of San Jose de Buenavista.
San Jose de Buenavista Mayor Elmer Untaran said he received Monday the laboratory test results from the Department of Agriculture-Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (DA-RADDL) in Iloilo City confirming that two of the seven blood samples taken from Barangay Bugarot on June 23 were positive for ASF.
“I requested for the testing of the swine in Barangay Bugarot upon knowing about the positive cases in Hamtic,” Untaran said in an interview.
Barangay Bugarot is located on the boundary of San Jose de Buenavista and the municipality of Hamtic, where the index cases came from.
Samples were taken by the Antique Provincial Veterinary Office in collaboration with the San Jose de Buenavista Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) from four hog farms and all those that tested positive came from only one farm.
Untaran will be issuing an Executive Order on Tuesday containing measures to prevent the spread of ASF, including the “test and destroy” approach where hogs positive for ASF will be depopulated.
Two teams composed of the Provincial Veterinarian and MAO will be formed to conduct the testing.
“Most of the hogs also in our town have been insured with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation so the hog-raisers could get their claims,” he said.
He said they have no immediate plan to declare a state of calamity or release financial aid since the hogs are insured.
As of June 26, a total of 451 breeders and 1,475 fatteners owned by 256 farmers have insurance coverage, as per the record of the San Jose de Buenavista MAO.
Untaran said they are waiting for the results of samples taken from Barangays Maybato Sur, Maybato North, and Bariri that were sent to the DA-RADDL for confirmation on Monday.
All three have reported hog mortalities.
Meanwhile, as of June 24, the municipality of Hamtic reported 2,051 swine mortalities in 28 barangays with damage amounting to PHP19.19 million. (PNA)
