Local hog raisers asked to unite vs ASF
A CALL for unity was aired among hog raisers during an emergency meeting to stakeholders in the swine industry.
Dr. Reynante de la Cruz of Unahco Feeds Inc, called on all hog raisers in Pangasinan to unite together in fighting ASF as this is is a highly transmissible and highly pathogenic swine disease.
ASF, he said, is similar but more lethal than swine cholera, adding that this originated from wild hogs in Africa before it was transmitted to hogs in Europe, then to Russia, Cuba, China, Vietnam, Laos and now the Philippines.
De la Cruz said if not controlled through the adoption of strict bio-security in existing hog farms, the disease can wipe out 100 percent the swine population in a certain area in a matter of days.
The disease he said can be fought through the adoption of clinical disinfection and isolation as he tagged insects such as flies as capable of transmitting ASF from one hog farm to another.
He called on hog raisers to control pathogens by cleaning their hog farms thoroughly and adopting the so-called footbaths for persons and wheel baths for vehicles and asked that persons entering hog farms must undergo disinfectant baths.
Jover Fule, technical services veterinarian of Bayer Philippines Inc., said early detection is the key towards controlling the spread of ASF as he asked local hog raisers to set aside their differences in order to put up a common fight against ASF.
He said ASF is a human activity-driven disease which can result in high case fatality.
Fule called on backyard raisers not to feed their hogs on left-over foods, especially from restaurants.
He cited reports that the ASF could have emanated from restaurants that are using imported frozen meat in their food menu and whose left-over foods were given to backyard raisers.
There should be no more swill feeding, he said, as he revealed that through bio-security, “we would be able to break the cycle of the disease”. (Leonardo Micua)
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