Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio announced that Davao City is currently in the swine repopulation stage following the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in the barangays of Calinan in 2020.
According to the mayor, “sentinel” pigs were delivered to the ASF-affected barangays in Calinan to repopulate.
She added that based on the city government’s surveillance and monitoring of barangays and the markets, Davao City is ASF-free as of April 4, 2022.
“Makasulti ta na wala pa ta’y kaso sa ASF as of this day. We are already in the repopulation stage sa atoang ASF. Nagdeliver ta ug sentinel pigs dinha sa Calinan and were tested negative for ASF. Based on the surveillance and monitoring nato sa mga barangays ug sa palengke, all negative and we already submitted the report to the regional office of the Department of Agriculture,” the mayor said.
In February 2020, barangays Lamanan, Dominga, and Lamanan of Calinan District were tested positive for ASF. The ASF-IATF and the Rapid Action Team spearheaded by the City Veterinarian’s Office quickly responded to the outbreak by conducting depopulation of hogs within a 1-kilometer radius of the infected area.
The city government of Davao also immediately stopped the movement of live pigs and their by-products to control the spread of the virus. As a result of the incursion, 4,394 swine heads were culled, and 947 swine raisers indemnified.
The city also advised the hog raisers to engage in another livelihood.
Last year, the DA started distributing “sentinel” piglets in areas where there are no reported cases of ASF for at least 90 days, initially in eight regions, benefitting 8,000 small hog raisers.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the sentinelling is a prelude to the Duterte administration’s swine repopulation program to increase hog production, and subsequently stabilize the supply and prices of pork.
