August 16, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Hog raisers found violating the conditions provided under the government’s African swine fever (ASF) vaccination program will not receive any indemnification, according to the Department of Agriculture.
DA officials will go to Batangas today to discuss with local government units and industry stakeholders the protocols and guidelines of the vaccination program.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Constante Palabrica said the vaccination program has three conditions that volunteer hog raisers must agree to before they could be included in the program.
These conditions state that the vaccine will be administered to grower pigs and not breeders, that hogs to be immunized are free from ASF, and that vaccinated pigs will be subjected to regular monitoring and analysis such as blood sampling.
“If you will not follow the conditions, you will not receive any assistance or indemnification from the government. That will be your penalty in case your pigs die despite being vaccinated against ASF,” Palabrica said.
Under the updated indemnification policy, hog raisers will receive P4,000 per piglet, P8,000 for medium-sized and P12,000 for large hogs.
The DA is rushing the procurement of 10,000 doses of ASF vaccine to curb the spread of the disease in Batangas, one of the country’s major pork producers.
Palabrica said the resurgence of ASF outbreaks in Calabarzon was caused by flooding, which exposed buried ASF-infected pigs.
Water contaminated with ASF could transmit the virus to healthy pigs, he said.
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