We know of many family members who earn a living from their pigs. It is an almost 200 million peso industry and the largest component of our livestock production.
Pigs are easy to breed and raise compared to cattle. Pigs reproduce at a faster rate and can bring faster income to farmers.
This matters given that 70 percent of our pork comes from small raisers which may not have the strict controls to protect their live pigs that the larger producers impose.
Statistics show that pork is almost 20% of our total agricultural output and represents two thirds of our meat consumption as Filipinos.
For the consumer, pork costs about 30% less than beef and is a primary protein source for many Filipinos. It figures well in our cuisine. Without it, many Filipino dishes will lose their flavor.
Thus, these numbers show us why this industry ought to be protected and enhanced.
The biggest threat to our industry is the
African Swine Flu (ASF), a very deadly disease that kills pigs in less than 48 hourscof exposure. As a virus, it can be brought in via contact with the virus and bringing it on their clothes and footwear.
Thus, we are advised not to bring into the country meat products, even canned goods (luncheon meat, pork floss , steaks and sausages ) and frozen prepared products like siomai.
Thus, important additional steps have been taken.
For one, the DA has asked that imported luncheon meats and canned pork products produced before August 2018 be recalled from store shelves.
In a Philippine News agency report, Agroculture secretary Manny Piñol stressed the effectivity of the ban on the entry of pork and pork products took effect since August 2018, and “any other products shipped in after that should be recalled from the market”.
Likewise, Pig farmers and its employees, vet and animal nutrionists , feedmills ( with pig feeds) and other allied businesses in the pig sector are strongly DISCOURAGED from travelling abroad esp to the ASF hit countries ( China, Vietnam, South African countries, Georgia, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Belaruse , Lithuana, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic , Belgium and Hongkong.
If travel is necessary, a MANDATORY 14 day quarantine period before going to pig related businesses is required to prevent spread of the virus.
A second major step is the importation of about 300,000 metric tonnes of corn to fill the supply gap and increase the production of feeds for our hog producers in anticipation of a hike in demand from local producers that will expand production to fill the gap left by a slash in imports.
These measures are needed to protect our food sources from disease.
Moving forward, may this be an opportunity to expand and deepend our local pork industry, eventually increase production and lower pork prices. The absence of ASF in the Philippine also.makes us a good source of safe pork for many countries.
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