An official of the Department of Agriculture XI revealed that a total of 49,315 pigs had been culled in Davao Region for the past two years due to the onslaught of the African Swine Fever.
Dr. Karl Laurence Pineda, Livestock Coordinator of the Department of Agriculture XI told the members of the technical working group of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council XI that the pandemic that hit the swine industry affected 10,664 farmers in 237 barangays of 43 municipalities in the five provinces and one city in the region.
He said that the African Swine Fever has greatly affected 5,669 farmers in Davao Occidental, 1,138 farmers in Davao de Sur, 1,259 farmers in Davao City, 1,068 in Davao del Norte, 106 in Davao de Oro and 1,424 farmers in Davao Oriental.
Pineda revealed that in Mati, Davao Oriental, a small farm laboratory confirmed the disease last August 13, 2021, but no culling was conducted following the deaths of all pigs.
He said that the City Government of Mati has already conducted total disinfection in the affected premises and surveyed the neighboring barangays.
Pineda surmised the same efforts were conducted in the provinces of Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao City, Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental.
“I suggest for other local government units to come up with their own legislation that will institute all measures to control the spread of the ASF,” he said.
Pineda said the Davao Occidental came out with in Provincial Ordinance No. 09-2021 while Mati City in Davao Oriental issued City Ordinance 464 Series of 2021, all designed to come up with a uniform approach to control the spread of the African Swine Fever.
He said the Department of Agriculture in Davao Region has reached out to the affected communities by training farmers to be barangay biosecurity officers.
Pineda showed a total of P172, 535,000. 00 has been released by the DA XI to the affected farmers in Davao Region. (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)
