Sec Dar lauds Koronadal City’s response to African swine fever

By: Danilo E. Doguiles, PIA XII

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato, Feb. 7 (PIA) — Agriculture Secretary William Dar praised the city government of Koronadal for their prompt response to control and contain African swine fever (ASF) infestation discovered here early in the month of February.

Sec. Dar visited Koronadal City Friday to meet with local officials and apprise measures regarding management, control, and containment of the ASF incursion here.

In the said meeting, Dar confirmed that blood samples from 11 of the 42 hogs culled from a stockyard in an urban barangay here on Tuesday tested positive for ASF.

“As we have observed, the city government’s response to control ASF was commendable. Fortytwo pigs were immediately depopulated, killed, burned and buried and the area was disinfected,” he said. He also appreciated how veterinary officials immediately monitored and collected blood samples from nearby hog farms. All these have so far tested negative for ASF. subjected to the Department of Agriculture’s 1-7-10 protocol. 1-7-10 protocol means that no hogs will be allowed to enter or leave within 1 kilometer from the ground zero of infection and the site is depopulated. Hogs within the 7-kilometer radius will be subjected to surveillance with restricted movement and blood testing. Those within the 10-kilometer radius from ground zero are subject to mandatory monitoring and reporting of swine disease occurrence.

Koronadal City will be declared ASF-free in two to three weeks if no additional cases of ASF are found in the city, the agriculture secretary said.

Forty-two hogs from a swine farm in Barangay Zone III were killed after its owner reported deaths from his livestock to the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian and the Office of the City Veterinarian. The owner will receive P5,000 remuneration for every pig culled

from his farm. The businessman sourced his stock in December from Sulop, Davao del Sur where ASF cases have recently been confirmed. In a separate interview, provincial veterinarian, Dr. Flora Bigot, said the pigs were highly suspected of ASF infection and were “condemned in accordance with animal welfare standards” which she explained include injecting the animal with anesthetic agent before the actual stunning. Blood samples collected from the farm were sent to the Bureau of Animal Industry central office’s laboratory in Quezon City for confirmatory test.

South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. ordered all city and municipal mayors to beef up bio-security measures following reports of confirmed ASF in nearby Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental provinces.

Mayor Dibu Tuan of Tboli and Mayor Leonard Escobillo of Tampakan immediately issued lockdown, banning entry of live hogs, pork, and processed and unprocessed pork for entering their respective areas.

Meanwhile, besides monitoring of swine farms in its jurisdiction, the Office of the City Veterinarian immediately installed quarantine checkpoints for livestocks entering or passing through Koronadal City.

Dr. Charlemagne Calo, city veterinarian, said they have placed quarantine checkpoints that operate 24/7 in all entry points to the city. .