In a pork-eating country like the Philippines, anything that’s pork is news. Even government budget is called pork.
There’s a lot of pork talk these days because of ASF. Those three letters are trending in all news platforms these days for the simple reason that it involves pork. ASF stands for African Swine Fever.
Most Google searches will lead to this. “African swine fever is a viral disease impacting only pigs, not people—so it is not a public health threat nor food-safety concern. ASF cannot be transmitted to humans through contact with pigs or pork. ASF only affects members of the pig family.”
That’s as clear as day. ASF only affects members of the pig family.
However, as with any food product, everyone should always follow safe handling and cooking instructions to protect the family’s health.
The big impact of ASF is in business. The World Organization for Animal Health considers African swine fever to be a trade limiting foreign animal disease of swine. Countries with confirmed cases are subject to international trade restrictions aimed at reducing the risk of introduction of the disease through trade.
That is where the big impact is–economy. And it’s going to hit hardest where the industry of hog raising is doing well for the local business.
The numbers tell it all. Davao Region’s top livestock industry according to the regional office of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Livestock and Poultry Situation Report is hog raising.
As of April 2018, total hog production has grown by 2.19 percent to 895,740 heads compared 876,511 hogs in 2017. Backyard hog growers are those growing 200 hogs or less. Those that produce over 200 hogs are considered commercial growers.
With the ASF scare, the worst case scenario is a trade restriction and eradication of contaminated animals which will surely cause a big loss to the livestock industry, particularly hog raising, in the region.
That is something Davao cannot afford.
