MANKAYAN, BENGUET – Through the initiatives of Benguet Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) and Philippine College of Swine Practitioner (PCSP), an activity was held last September 7, 2021 about Barangay Biosecurity Officer Training . The project is part of Bantay ASF sa Barangay (Babay ASF) program that aims to provide safeguards and monitor the entry of any African Swine Fever (ASF) cases in their area.
The training was attended by more than 30 members from the 12 different barangays of Mankayan, Benguet.
Bantay ASF sa Barangay, is a multi-stakeholder partnership between the public and private sector and veterinarians, seeks to control the spread of ASF and assist in the repopulation of farms affected by the disease.
ULTRAPAK has been a consistent partner and supporter for these kind of trainings and seminars. The company’s expertise and knowledge when it comes to the implementation of Biosecurity practices is key in fighting against ASF cases experienced by different hog farms nationwide.
The Barangay Biosecurity Officer Training came in an opportune time where just last August, Mankayan has detected ASF cases in Benguet towns.
ASF has been reported last month in nine municipalities – La Trinidad, Itogon, Tuba, Sablan, Tublay, Atok, Kabayan, Bokod and Buguias – that led to the mass depopulation and culling of the infected hogs over the past several months.
Provincial veterinarian Dr. Miriam Tiongan four local hog raisers from Barangay Bulalacao, Suyoc and Taneg reported deaths among their hogs that caused them to request for the conduct of tests to ascertain the reason for the death of their pigs.
Tiongan disclosed that based on the investigation conducted by the personnel from the provincial veterinary office and the municipal agriculture office, the cause of the ASF infection in Barangay Suyoc was the alleged contaminated pork brought in to the barangay; while for the case of the infection in Barangay Bulalacao, it was the boar semen that was brought to the area from San Fernando City, Pampanga, which was supposed to be inseminated to one of the sows of the local hog raiser.
After receiving the reports on the death of the pigs by the hog raisers, Tiongan claimed that immediate tests were conducted that showed positive results that led to the depopulation of the remaining hogs to prevent the further spread of the animal illness in other parts of the said barangay.
She stipulated those personnel from the provincial veterinary office were simply in the municipality conducting bio-security surveillance and assessment when they were approached by the concerned hog raisers whose pigs suddenly died that prompted them to immediately conduct the required tests on the animals pursuant to prescribed procedures that allowed them to discover the presence of ASF in the locality.
Tiongan added that information and education campaign is being conducted by the concerned personnel of the provincial veterinary office and the municipal agriculture office to make the hog raisers understand the need to immediately depopulate the hogs in the areas where ASF had been proven to be present to prevent the further spread of the animal virus, which could cause more problems for the hog raisers once there will be an outbreak in the municipality.
UltraPak, one of the country’s leading producer of Hi-Density Feeds has always been a willing partner of PCSP.
“ UltraPak understands the urgency of the ASF issue concerning our local hog raisers. That is why our company has been committed since day one to support PCSP’s campaign against ASF. We value the importance of our local hog raisers and they can be assured that our company will provide all the necessary help we can give to the industry” said Dr. Aileen Guerrero, Product Manager, UltraPak
As additional support to the company’s advocacy against ASF, UltraPak will be showing on their YouTube Channel, UltraPak TV a series of webisodes featuring Jean Mac Laurent, Technical Swine Manager, ADM Asia. With the topic, “How to protect your herd”, Mr. Laurent will discuss different aspects of protecting your farms against ASF.
To know more, follow UltraPak’s official FB page at https://www.facebook.com/ultrapakofficial and subscribe at UltraPak’s official YouTube page, UltraPak TV (UltraPak).
