Prompt animal disease reporting beefed up
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Sun, 08 Dec 2019 16:09:43 +0000
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued a memorandum order that calls for enhancing animal disease reporting and control amid the emerging and reemerging local diseases that could strike the country’s livestock and poultry industry.
In Memorandum Order 32 signed by Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Dec. 2, 2019, the DA said some emerging and reemerging animal diseases are not listed in the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as OIE-listed diseases. This prompted the agency to declare the list of notifiable animal diseases by incorporating swine diseases and infections in the lists of notifiable animal diseases and the OIE-listed diseases.
“Any unusual clustering of similar symptoms or syndromes or more than the perceived mortalities or morbidities that are yet unknown in origin shall be considered notifiable to consider emerging and reemerging measures,” the order stated.
The DA underscored the importance of prompt reporting of diseases of suspected cases for an efficient, well-coordinated response and immediate implementation of control measures.
“There is a need to streamline and further rationalize the systematic process of diseases reporting in accordance with the principles of economy, efficiency, and checks and balances,” it said.
“A standard payment system is appropriate and consistent with the objective of the government for a transparent and legitimate releases of cash assistance to affected farmers,” the DA added.
Under the provision of compensation and financing, the DA, through a special account, will be initially provided with P250 million by the Department of Budget and Management, which will be used to assist affected backyard swine farmers.
The DA, however, said the compensation will only cover animals that are ordered culled to prevent the spread of animal diseases since the beginning of the African swine fever outbreak in the country.
The assistance will not cover “other losses such as destruction of contaminated feedstuffs and other products, disinfection of plants and equipment and other control measures, restocking costs, economic losses for drop of market conditions, and improvement of biosecurity measures,” it added, noting that such losses may be compensated through other means to be made available by the government.
The DA also said that the compensation payments may be in cash, checks, vouchers or bank transfer. EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ