DA supports permanent ban on backyard hog raising

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) supports the move of the Davao Occidental Provincial Government to permanently ban backyard hog raising after Don Marcelino town was hit by African Swine Fever (ASF).

Davao Occidental Governor Claude Bautista, in a previous interview, said he wants to prohibit backyard-raising of piggeries in the province following the deaths of more than 1,000 hogs in the area by the end of January this year.

DA Davao later confirmed the death was due to ASF, a fatal animal disease affecting pigs and wild boars with a fatality rate of up to 100 percent.

"What we need is a corporate program na ibuo natin ang mga tao, lalagyan natin sila ng mga shelter para sa baboy nila para ma-address natin at ma-monitor natin ang mga baboy (Let's gather the raisers, build shelter for their pigs so that we can address and monitor the hogs)," Bautista said in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

He said he does not want people engaging in backyard hog-raising as he wants them to do away with the piggery dispersal and instead go into corporate distribution.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar confirmed that the government is already aware about his proposal and he is supporting it.

"If I understand the plan of the Provincial Government (is) yung plano niya na communal hog raising, mas boto ako doon (their plan is to have a communal hog raising, which for me is favorable)," Dar said.

The DA official said having a communal or group hog-raising is advantageous, especially if the group is composed of 10 individuals.

"That's a better orientation than having it individually, para biosecurity-wise, mas ma-implement mong tama (so that implementing biosecurity measures would be properly made)," Dar said.

He also said having a communal hog-raising would allow the government to provide efficient assistance in times of calamities and other hog-related concerns.

But he has not bared any plan for Davao, as it is up to the City Government to consider a similar approach.

Meanwhile, culling of hogs within Don Marcelino in Davao Occidental, and Barangays Lamanan and Dominga in Calinan District, Davao City is ongoing. The areas are part of the one-kilometer radius imposed by DA as the "ground zero" or the virus' point of origin.

As of February 11, Tuesday, 6,624 hogs were already culled in Don Marcelino, while 3,132 hogs were culled in Malita, another town in Davao Occidental, and 1,562 were culled in Davao City.

Both areas were declared under a state of calamity, wherein indemnity payments or financial assistance will be allotted by both DA and the respective local government units to affected hog raisers.

Dar, meanwhile, advised affected hog raisers to look for other source of livelihood while the virus is still being addressed. (With reports from PIA)