In Pangasinan, 164 pigs have been culled after confirmation of African swine fever in about 30 hogs that were reportedly brought to the province from ASF-hit Bulacan. In Quezon City, where 3,000 pigs have been culled so far due to ASF in Payatas and Silangan, new cases were confirmed yesterday in a third barangay, Tatalon.
Under close monitoring by the city government are up to 600 hogs being raised by 46 breeders in Barangay Pasong Tamo. One of the breeders reportedly culled 357 pigs that showed signs of sickness as early as Monday, without waiting for an official confirmation of the presence of ASF.
According to data collected by the Department of Agriculture, up to 20,000 hogs have been “depopulated” or killed so far to prevent the spread of ASF. And the swine disease shows no sign of abating. The 20,000 were recorded only in areas where cases of ASF infection have been confirmed by the DA. Authorities, however, have yet to find out the extent of contagion that might have resulted from the recent indiscriminate dumping of dead hogs that were found floating in Marikina waterways. The city has no backyard pig farms.
People have only belatedly begun following proper protocols in the safe disposal of dead pigs as well as the handling of swine whether dead or alive. Hog carcasses must be buried about five meters or 30 feet deep, away from bodies of water, ideally in containment bags or materials that will prevent leaching of animal waste into the soil. Handlers have started wearing biohazard suits, while vehicles used for transporting hogs are being thoroughly washed with a special disinfectant.
While it is not good to create panic, transparency allows people to take necessary precautions so they don’t become unwitting carriers or distributors of the ASF virus. Up to 60 percent of the country’s pork is supplied by backyard hog raisers. Even if it will mean losses for them, breeders will understand the logic behind hog depopulation in ASF-affected areas.
Authorities must not lull people into complacency by giving premature reassurances that the ASF threat has been “contained.” While it may have an immediate negative impact on hog raisers, full transparency will guarantee the long-term survival of the industry.