DAVAO CITY —The city government has imposed a lockdown in two villages to prevent spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) virus.
This, after Department of Agriculture XI (Davao Region) and the City Veterinarian Office in a press briefing Wednesday, confirmed that six (6) blood samples taken from swine in the villages of Dominga and Lamanan, had tested positive for the ASF virus.
The villages of Dominga and Lamanan in Calinan District, are located in the outskirts of the city and many residents are into backyard piggery.
As of this publication, the death toll of hogs due to ASF in the two villages have reached to ten.
Lamanan Barangay captain Nicanor Pepito revealed, some 200 pigs have died in his village since January but he cannot confirm if it was due to ASF.
Davao City veterinarian Dr. Cerelyn Pinili assured hog raisers in said villages that the city government will give them assistance following the confirmed cases of ASF virus there.
The city government also instituted mechanisms to prevent the spread of the disease that has caused death to at least 30 pigs.
Pinili said a lockdown of barangays Lamanan and Dominga has already been implemented — and this means no pig or pork products are allowed to enter and exit the said areas.
The assistance of police has already been sought to control the movement and illegal transport of pigs and pork products from the locked down areas.
Village officials were also briefed appropriately on the culling protocol that will be implemented in the quarantine zone.
Culling is the slaughter of all pigs found within the affected areas.
City government support:
Pinili said the city government will buy out all pigs in the two barangays, including the sucklings, to help the hog raisers in their livelihood.“We will buy the pigs at P5,000 per head including the sucklings plus an additional per kilo of the prevailing price,”
She said. “We will weigh the pig and pay it (based on) the prevailing price of pork in the market,” she added.
The prevailing price of pork in the city’s markets is at P200 per kilo. Aside from the assistance that the hog raisers will receive from the city government, the Department of Agriculture will also give P5,000 per pig, excluding the suckling.-With CIO report
