BACKYARD hog raising should be regulated, not totally banned, a Davao City councilor reacted following the outbreak of the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus in the city.
Councilor Ralph Abella on Wednesday, February 12, said banning people from hog raising within their backyard is not “ideal” for now, since there are some who raise live hogs as means of livelihood.
The councilor made the statement after the Department of Agriculture (DA) expressed its support to Davao Occidental Provincial Government’s move to permanently ban backyard hog raising since 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.
As of February 13, more than 5,000 hogs were culled in Davao Occidental, which were all raised by backyard raisers.
Abella, committee on agriculture and food chairperson, said while the permanent ban is a good plan since it would make them further implement biosecurity measures, he is also apprehensive about permanently banning it for now since many will be affected by it.
The councilor admitted he is a hog raiser himself and hog raising supported his studies.
“Ang importante lang man ana is musunod lang sila sa balaod (They just need to follow the law),” Abella said on Wednesday, February 12, during the 19th City Council Media Briefing.
He, however, is open to the idea of communal or group hog raising.
Abella said he is even encouraging hog raising among his constituents in second district to do communal hog raising.
However, he said an area for a group hog farm is a problem, which he is still trying to address.
Abella recently passed a proposed ordinance seeking for livestock raisers in the city to regulate the odor coming from their farms.
He said the ordinance aims to create measures on how to regulate foul and unpleasant odors emanating from animal houses and farms.
He added he had been receiving complaints from his constituents regarding foul or unpleasant odors of animal wastes and discharges coming from backyard piggeries, poultry farms, or livestock commercial establishments.
Abella cited methods such as usage of environmentally-friendly enzymes for animal feeding, recycling of animal wastes as composts to guarantee the wastes and discharges generated by their activities and operations will not affect neighboring areas and the health of the people living in the said community.
“Tumanon gyud nila kini aron dili sila mamroblema ug mapasanginlan sa inyo silingan (They should comply so that they won’t be blamed by their neighbors due to foul odor),” the councilor said.
In his proposed ordinance, hog raising in subdivisions and shorelines will not be allowed.
He added, they will be discouraged from feeding swills to their hogs, hence, they should instead be fed with hog feeds.
Swills or lamaw has been cited by DA as one of the factors as to why the ASF had entered the region.RGL