The Department of Agriculture on Monday dismissed suggestions to declare a state of national calamity in response to the 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 the Congressional hearings on the DA’s 2025 budget, Tiu Laurel assured that the ASF situation should neither disrupt pork supply nor push prices higher.
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. This includes setting up of livestock checkpoints to prevent transport of diseased animals suspected to have abetted the latest
spread of ASF and immediate purchase of 10,000 doses of vaccines for emergency inoculation in affected areas.
The objective is to mitigate the impact on the hog industry of the latest infection surge. A national controlled trial of the vaccine where 600,000 doses will be used in areas with active ASF cases is only expected to begin by the last quarter of the year.
Tiu Laurel said the DA has also increased indemnification for farmers who surrender infected pigs. Compensation has been significantly raised from a maximum of P5,000 to P12,000 per pig to encourage hog raisers to report and cull diseased animals instead of selling them.
The DA is also implementing a hog repopulation program that—latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority suggest—has helped in minimizing the impact of ASF on the swine industry’s output. A liberalized regime on the import of pork is also expected to stabilize supply and prices of meat products despite the ASF scare.
Tiu 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.
The DA remains committed to use targeted
interventions and increased support to safeguard the hog industry and ensure pork supply stability. For further updates and information on the DA’s ASF response and budget plans, stakeholders and the public are encouraged to follow official announcements and engage with relevant agricultural agencies.
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