The Department of Agriculture (DA-6) has expanded its swine sentineling protocol in Iloilo to cover nine additional municipalities after the successful implementation in the town of Oton.
Iloilo Provincial Veterinarian, Dr. Darel Tabuada, said that almost all of the sentinel animals dispersed in Oton, the pilot site in Iloilo, survived.
The department distributed 72 sentinel piglets to selected farmers in Oton last year.
“It means that in their environment, there are no longer traces of the African swine fever (ASF) virus,” he said in an interview.
The expansion will cover 181 farmers from Zarraga, New Lucena, Mina, Janiuay, Dingle, Banate, Barotac Viejo, and Batad, based on the letter from the department’s livestock program sent to Tabuada on Aug. 7.
The sentinel animal for the municipality of Lambunao is set for delivery to 13 farmers on Aug.19.
Each farmer will receive one piglet, along with one bag of starter and one bag of grower feed, multivitamins and antibiotics, as part of the package.
Tabuada said they are trying to put Oton on the yellow (surveillance) zone, but due to some lacking documents, they intend to wait for the result of the latest sentineling in nine towns that will last for 45 days.
Meanwhile, he said the provincial government also has its own sentineling or financial assistance for the ASF recovery program in 14 municipalities.
The provincial government has already downloaded PHP10.03 million to the local governments to purchase 1,672 piglets for distribution to 836 farmers.
Based on data, the municipality of Barotac Viejo has already distributed 54 piglets; Sta. Barbara, 72; San Miguel, 50; Zarraga, 60; Oton, 246; and Mina, 10.
The procurement is still ongoing in the towns of New Lucena, Dingle, Banate, Concepcion, Lambunao, Janiuay, Batad, and Dumangas.
On the other hand, Tabuada said the DA’s Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) program is expected to boost the inventory in the province.
He said the INSPIRE program is operational in Sta. Barbara and Bingawan, and will soon start in New Lucena.
There is also an ongoing construction of the structure for the program in 15 other sites. Each site can accommodate about 300 heads.
The department is also helping three commercial farms.
“If these inputs of the Department of Agriculture will become successful, especially its INSPIRE program, and our commercial farms will become fully operationalize, hopefully, we can see that our swine inventory in the province will stabilize,” he said.PNA
