MANILA, Philippines — While African swine fever (ASF) is a global phenomenon, its impact on the Philippines has been longer and more destructive, with the latest government data showing that the virus has spread to 460 towns and 54 provinces, farmers’ group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said yesterday.
SINAG executive director Jayson Cainglet blamed the outbreak of the ASF on the failure of the government to establish first border facilities.
“The DA (Department of Agriculture) is chasing its own tail. The ASF is a global phenomenon, and yet the impact and devastation are longer and more destructive in our country. We continue to be the only country without first border inspection facilities,” Cainglet told The STAR.
Cainglet was reacting to the latest figures from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), which showed that as of April 3, only 20 provinces are still free from ASF – Batanes, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon, Masbate, Aklan, Antique, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Biliran, Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
“It will not matter if you impose movement protocols and biosecurity measures in local farms and transport of live hogs if we continue to have unlimited entry of untested imported pork at the port of first entry,” he said.
The SINAG chief noted that while the DA and BAI impose stringent measures on local hog raisers, imported meat products enter the country without proper inspection.
“Local producers suffer, especially backyard raisers, when it comes to ASF protocols, but the ports are open for imported pork without the necessary testing,” he said.
As early as 2019, funds were earmarked for construction of first border inspection facilities, according to Cainglet.
“There is obviously a resistance within the DA to construct such facilities. Local producers are bearing the cost of increased biosecurity on the farm level, continued regular testing of pigs for ASF and related diseases, stricter ordinances on pig movement, yet there is no real quarantine inspection of imported pork,” he said.
He added that backyard raisers chose not to report ASF cases as the DA failed to provide indemnification for affected hogs.
He said that a hog raiser needs to apply for insurance from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. to be able to avail themselves of the monetary assistance in case an ASF outbreak occurs.
“Again, we are seeing the continuing bias of the DA toward pork imports. The DA removed the compensation for local hog raisers while they pushed for the tariff reduction of pork imports that remain untested for the ASF. Can the DA provide us with results of ASF testing done at the port of first entry for all imported pork in the last four years?” Cainglet said.
For the SINAG chief, the DA should not wait for all the hogs to be infected with ASF before it acts on the concerns of the local swine industry.
“The DA should prioritize local hog raisers. Help should be done now, unless they really want to kill the local industry,” he said.
The ASF outbreak was recorded in 16 regions, with the first case recorded in South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur.
Only the National Capital Region remains free from ASF.
On the other hand, provinces affected by the ASF include Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Apayao, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Aurora, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Marinduque, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, Cebu, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Norte, Daval del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands and Maguindanao del Sur.
In Cebu, the 12 areas affected by ASF are the cities of Bogo, Carcar, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu, Talisay and the municipalities of Cordova, Liloan, Minglanilla, San Fernando, Sibonga and Tuburan. – Gilbert Bayoran, Delon Porcalla