For Part 1:
For Part 2:
SWILL, the most common byproduct of food waste, has long been used as a primary or supplementary feed for hogs, particularly in backyard hog farming. While this practice was once seen as economical and productive, swill is not an ideal feed for hogs — or for any animal.
Dr. Armie S. Capuyan, Regional Head of Disease Monitoring and Surveillance of the Department of Agriculture–Davao (DA-Davao), emphasized the major reasons why swill should not be used as animal feed during an online interview.
“Aside sa magandang housing, maganda yung breed ng animals na pino-produce, kailangan rin is magkaroon ng magandang nutrition yung ating animals. So kung halimbawa, kung hindi nga kulang ang pag-provide mo ng nutrition doon sa animals, such as pag-provide ng mga vitamins and supplements, but then the food itself is hindi maganda ang quality. Of course, it would compromise din the nutrition or the health ng animals, including ‘yung risk nila for the disease,” said Dr. Capuyan, who is also a veterinarian.
(Aside from good housing, it’s also important that the animals being produced are of good breed, and that they receive proper nutrition. So, for example, even if you are not lacking in providing nutrition to the animals — such as giving vitamins and supplements — but the food itself is of poor quality, then of course it would still compromise the animals’ nutrition and health, including their risk of getting diseases.)
Several studies and scientific journals support her statement.
A Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) journal notes that breed and genetics strongly influence productivity, health, and disease resistance; however, feed quality — not supplements alone — determines nutritional status and immunity. This aligns with findings from the 2023 journal Animal Nutrition and Production by Daniel Simeanu and Răzvan-Mihail Radu-Rusu.
“Balanced, digestible feed supplies the macro- and micronutrients that sustain metabolism and immune function; poor-quality feed or imbalanced diets lead to nutritional deficiencies that reduce immunity and increase susceptibility to infections, even when supplements are provided,” the authors explained.
Science has also shown that poor feed quality can introduce contaminants and pathogens that directly cause illness.
“Animal feed can carry biological hazards (Salmonella, Toxoplasma, etc.), mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals; contaminated feed is a documented source of outbreaks and can create animal-health problems that also threaten human food safety,” according to FAO.
Dr. Capuyan added that swill from food waste is most likely already contaminated with bacteria or viruses that can cause disease in animals.
“Because yung mga food waste na yon is most like contaminated na galing sa mga palengke or galing sa hindi magandang pag-process pagkatapos kung yun ang maipapakain doon sa mga animals natin, aside sa kulang sa nutritive value yung food nila, of course possible pa na na iyon is may dala na mga bacteria or viruses or any disease agents na maka-cause ng sakit doon sa ating mga animals,” she said.
(Because those food wastes are most likely already contaminated—coming from markets or from improper processing—and if that is what we feed to our animals, aside from the fact that their food will lack nutritive value, it is also possible that these wastes carry bacteria, viruses, or any disease-causing agents that could make our animals sick.)
What concerns her most is when these diseases are zoonotic — meaning they can be transmitted to humans.
“"Kung halimbawa ang food waste ay contaminated so the tendency ay magkakasakit yung animal, and if halimbawa ang sakit ng animal na yon is zoonotic, meaning from animal is nakakahawa sa tao, so kung halimbawa ang animal na yun is nagkasakit then it will be consumed by the public or ng mga tao, because we still notice some practices ng mga farmers or ng mga tao na if murag nagluya na gani ang baboy, hala sige ihaw na nato kay para mapakanibangan pa, unknowingly katong practice na to is maka-posible nilang makuha ang sakit nag naa didto sa sa animals," Capuyan warned.
(For example, if the food waste is contaminated, the tendency is that the animal will get sick. And if, for example, that animal's disease is zoonotic, meaning it is transferable from animals to humans, then if that animal gets sick and is then consumed by the public or by people—because we still notice some practices among farmers or people where if a pig looks weak, they quickly say, 'Go ahead and slaughter it so we can still make use of it'—unknowingly, that practice might make it possible for them to contract the disease that is present in the animals.)
Dr. Renelee Subsuban, a faculty member of the University of Mindanao’s Science Department, echoed this concern, noting that leftover food consumed by stray dogs, cats, or other animals can harm their health.
“But what is concerning is, there are diseases that can be transmitted from these animals to humans,” Subsuban said.
Both experts pointed out that humans can be infected not only by eating meat from sick animals but also through handling the meat during butchering or cooking. However, Dr. Capuyan said she has not received any reports of animal-to-human disease transmission in the Davao Region, aside from the previously reported rabid dog consumption incident in New Corella, Davao del Norte.
Focus on animal-to-animal contamination
Dr. Capuyan stressed that improper handling of food waste not only endangers humans but also results in significant economic losses due to animal-to-animal disease transmission. She cited African Swine Fever (ASF) as a major example, which devastated the country’s hog population.
A 2024 MDPI study, African Swine Fever in the Philippines: A Review on Surveillance, Prevention, and Control Strategies, revealed that the total swine population in 2018 was 12.71 million heads. Although the population was slowly increasing before ASF entered the country, it began to sharply decline after the first reported case in July 2019. From 12.70 million heads in mid-2019, the population dropped to 11.74 million in 2020 — an 18.6% decrease.
By September 2023, the total swine inventory further declined to 9.86 million heads, 2.1% lower than the 10.07 million recorded in the same period in 2022. Since 2019, 89% (73 out of 82) of provinces have been affected, with 5 million pigs culled and economic losses amounting to roughly ₱200 billion, according to the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines.
In the Davao Region, a 2025 ScienceDirect study reported that ASF outbreaks between February 2020 and January 2023 affected 193 barangays, impacting 10,605 backyard farms and resulting in the culling of 45,957 pigs. The study noted that although ASF arrived in the Philippines in 2019, the first confirmed case in the region emerged only in February 2020.
Given these threats, Dr. Capuyan urged farmers to abandon the traditional practice of feeding hogs with swill.
She acknowledged why the practice persists: “Since it's the tradition of Filipinos, especially yung mga mother, kasi yung parang pang-supplement nila sa income ng kanilang mga breadwinners or ng husband nila, they usually go into backyard swine raising pero gumagamit po sila ng swill or lamaw kasi ito for supplementary feeding din kasi mas mahal naman talaga po yung mga feeds or commercial feeds natin,” she said.
(Since it's the tradition of Filipinos, especially the mothers, it's like a supplement to the income of their breadwinners or their husbands. They usually go into backyard swine raising, but they use swill or lamaw because this is for supplementary feeding, as the commercial feeds or feeds we have are really more expensive.)
She appealed to backyard farmers to prioritize proper feeding practices to avoid losing their hogs — especially when pigs are raised as a form of savings for special occasions or emergencies.
“Sometimes they grow the pigs pang alkanysa ba na magbuhi para paga-bot sa panahon ng okasyon ay magpaihaw para sa handaan or tawag diyan katulad ng ano para siyang alkansya na halimbawa if tigpait siguro ipatimbang na lang na yung baboy kay para naa tay income, so yung ganun po na economic dynamics sa ating mga common na mga backyard farmers but then yun nga po that practice (of letting them eat food waste such as swill) also post threat doon sa ating mga animals, so if makakaon sila contaminated with ASF, then it's just a matter of days no na mag-manifest na ng signs ang animal for the disease and would result, in most of the cases, on the death of the animal. So it would... tawag diyan hindi niya ma-attain yung purpose niya na nga nagbuhi ka ng baboy kay para sa mga intended na mga occasions or intended na mga purpose," she said.
(Sometimes they raise the pigs as a savings fund, meaning they raise them so that when an occasion comes, they can slaughter the pig for the feast or celebration. Or, as they call it, it's like a piggy bank where, for example, if times are hard, they will just sell the pig by weight to have income. So, that's the kind of economic dynamic among our common backyard farmers. But, then again, that practice (of letting them eat food waste such as swill) also poses a threat to our animals. So if they eat something contaminated with ASF [African Swine Fever], then it's just a matter of days before the animal manifests signs of the disease, which would result, in most cases, in the death of the animal. So, it would... what you call it... it won't attain its purpose, which was raising a pig for the intended occasions or intended purpose.)
Fortunately, Dr. Capuyan shared that, at the time of the interview, the Davao Region had no recorded ASF cases.
What to do with food waste
According to Olive Puentespina, CEO of Davao Thermo Biotech Corporation — a company specializing in circular biodegradable waste management using composting technology — food scraps should be composted, not used as animal feed.
“So kailangan natin siyang tulungang Maitama ang pag-manage ng basura as it can be one of the solutions para ma-manage din yung pagkalat ng sakit, sa hayop at sa mga tao. So what is the common lesson that we have to learn from this proper biodegradable waste disposal is ang nabubulok dapat nating huwag gawing possible source ng sakit, possible source ng baha, source ng pagkalat ng daga, kasi sila din nagdadala ng sakit eh, no," Puentespina said.
“So we need to help them correctly manage the waste, as it can be one of the solutions to manage the spread of diseases, to both animals and people. So, what is the common lesson we have to learn from this proper biodegradable waste disposal is that we should not allow decomposing waste to become a possible source of disease, a possible source of flooding, or a source of the spread of rats, because they also carry diseases, right?)
She also encouraged mothers — who typically manage household waste — to see food scraps as a resource rather than a burden.
"Generally speaking sila mostly ang producer ng biodegradable waste -- lamaw, panit sa mga gulay o panit sa atoang mga lamas, ang mga tira-tira nga pagkaon -- baliktarin ko 'yan: paano mo siya ngayon pwedeng gamitin na hindi mo na siya itatapon. I-compost mo na lang siya sa bahay, magagamit mo pang fertilizer, makakatanim ko pa ng gulay. So huwag mo siyang tingnan na naging problema siya. Turuan natin sila paano mag-compost, gumawa ng abono sa bahay at maggawa ng sariling gulayan sa bahay. Turn the negative into positive," Puentespina ended.
(Generally speaking, they are mostly the producers of biodegradable waste — swill, vegetable peels, or the skin/peels from our spices, the leftover food. I will flip that around: how can you use it now so that you don't have to throw it away? Just compost it at home, you can use it as fertilizer, and you can even plant vegetables. So don't view it as having become a problem. Let's teach them how to compost, how to make fertilizer at home, and how to create their own small vegetable garden at home. Turn the negative into positive.) CEA
