THIRTY-four hogs were confirmed to have died from Asian Swine Fever (ASF) in Barangay Linoc, Binmaley while another 21 were culled on first week of January just when Pangasinan was about to be declared ASF-free.

This was disclosed by Dr. Jovito Tabarejos, assistant provincial veterinarian, who confirmed that of the 34 hogs that have so far died in Barangay Linoc, 21 were killed through culling conducted during a search-and-destroy operation by the Anti-ASF Task Force formed by Gov. Amado Espino III.

The task force opted for ‘search-and-destroy’ in lieu of the 1-7-10 protocol prescribed by the Department of Agriculture, because the task force found the protocol costly and DA may no longer have enough money to pay for every culled hog.        

He said 34 of the hogs came from the farm of Elma Ferrer of Barangay Linoc and died by batches beginning December 10 but their deaths were only reported to the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian December 27 last year.

Tabarejos said Elma Ferrer, herself an employee at the Municipal Agriculture Office in Mangaldan, was raising only 32 hogs but two hogs from Barangay Apaya, Malasiqui on December 3 added to her stock.

Ms. Ferrer suspected that it was the two hogs, bought by a relative at a bargain price intended to be butchered during his wedding on December 28 that were the real carriers of ASF.

Then followed the death of 27 other hogs in that pig farm.

Tabarejos clarified during the “Talakayan sa Kapitolyo” on Tuesday that it was only on December 27, the last working day of the year, that the fresh cases of ASF were reported. That was why it was only on the first working day of 2020 that the task force investigated the incidents in Barangay Linoc, Binmaley.

He said when they arrived at the Ferrer farm, only seven of the 34 hogs had remained. The rest already died and were buried.

Nevertheless, the task force took blood samples of the remaining seven hogs and submitted these for laboratory analysis in Pampanga. Sadly, the blood samples of the hogs all turned out positive of ASF.

Based on the inventory conducted by the task force there are 320 more hogs in Barangay Linoc that are yet spared from culling, Tabarejos said these will be culled too if hog deaths continue.

Tabarejos said the surveillance operation in Barangay Linoc is being extended up to barangays Canaoalan and Manat, Binmaley.

He said checkpoints in all entry points of Pangasinan that were put in place since September by virtue of an executive order of Governor Espino are still in place and on alert 24/7 to prevent live hogs coming from adjacent provinces.

The Pangasinan Hog Raisers Association, according to Tabarejos, has a standing memorandum of understanding with the Tarlac Hog Raisers Association for the latter not to bring live hogs into Pangasinan yet.      

Butch Velasco, provincial information officer, said Gov. Espino also wants the public to know the true status of ASF in Pangasinan, that the province is still not ASF-free. (Leonardo Micua)      

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