MANILA, (PIA) — The Department of Agriculture on Monday dismissed suggestions to declare a state of national calamity in response to the recent surge in African Swine Fever (ASF) infections.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said enhanced border controls, an emergency inoculation program, and increased indemnification measures should suffice to manage the outbreak effectively.
Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of Congressional hearings on the DA’s 2025 budget, Sec. Laurel assured that the current ASF situation would not disrupt pork supply or drive up prices.
Unlike the initial response to ASF in 2019, which involved extensive lockdowns of entire towns, the new strategy focuses on isolating only those farms that test positive for the disease.
The DA has outlined a multi-faceted approach to combat ASF resurgence, including setting up livestock checkpoints, immediate purchase of 10,000 doses of ASF vaccines, and a national controlled trial of the vaccine expected to begin by the last quarter of the year.
Laurel said the DA has also significantly increased indemnification for farmers who surrender infected pigs, raising the compensation from a maximum of P5,000 to P12,000 per pig.
The DA is also implementing a hog repopulation program and a liberalized regime on the import of pork to stabilize supply and prices of meat products.
Laurel said P150 million is readily available for ASF response, including funds for purchasing vaccines and supporting the increased indemnification program. He expressed confidence that these efforts would manage the current outbreak without declaring a state of national calamity. (GLG/PIA-NCR)
