Fight vs ASF a ‘people issue’
Credit to Author: Eireene Jairee Gomez| Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2020 16:10:18 +0000
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it was on top of the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in the country that has so far reached several areas in Luzon and Mindanao since the virus broke out in July last year.
During his speech at the three-day International Farmers’ Summit 2020 in Pasay City, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the DA continues to forge strong partnerships with local chief executives, national associations of veterinarians and hog raisers’ federations to enhance existing biosecurity and quarantine measures to effectively manage, control and contain the spread of ASF in the country.
He pointed out that the fight against ASF has became a “people issue,” citing rampant smuggling and uncooperative hog traders that make it more possible for the virus to enter non-affected areas.
“Smuggling is number one. Out of the many intercepted items, there are pork and pork dumplings coming from ASF-infected countries. That is really the major source of the virus,” Dar said.
He added that there were also travelers coming from ASF-affected countries who continue to bring pork and pork products, of which some are being converted into swill feeds.
“We were hoping to really guard the Visayas and Mindanao including Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Roblon and Palawan) but this issue of the ASF has now become a people issue. Hog raisers whose pigs are infected are hiding their pigs and that is being taken advantage of by hog traders themselves buying at half the price and not following the protocol of slaughtering these infected animals in slaughterhouses,” Dar explained.
“The virus is not the problem anymore. The very problem now is the traders who sell pork and pork meat,” he said.
With all these, the DA secretary again urged the local chief executives “to do their share” as they are mainly responsible for implementing biosecurity measures in their localities.
“[W]e’re calling again on the local chief executives. They know who are their traders. They know where they’re buying these pigs so it is enhancing our monitoring and surveillance and checking on the trading activities of these hog traders that will substantially and significantly reduce the spread of such virus,” Dar said.
Earlier this week, President Rodrigo Duterte directed all local government units and concerned national government agencies to strictly enforce the national zoning and movement plan crafted by the DA in the fight against ASF.
The ASF zoning plan and guidelines consists of three specific measures to control the spread of ASF: public awareness, surveillance and border control and movement management.
Since the country’s first ASF incidence in Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal was confirmed in August 2019, the DA chief immediately formed the ASF Crisis Management Task Force enlisting as member-leaders of hog raisers’ groups, meat processors, traders and other swine industry leaders.