Over 5,400 pigs culled in Naga, 5 CamSur towns

PILI, Camarines Sur --- Some 5, 429 pigs infected by the African Swine Fever (ASF) have been culled in Naga City and five towns in Camarines Sur province, the agriculture department said recently.

Based from the Mar. 25 data of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Bicol regional office, some 1,010 hog raisers have suffered financial losses amounting to millions of pesos as a result of the ASF.

DA figures showed among the areas affected, the town of Bombon, where the first ASF case originated, has the biggest number of pigs depopulated at 1,506, followed by Naga City with 1475, Calabanga, 1,439, Magarao, 843, Canaman, 135, and Minalabac, 31.

ASF cases spiked by 1,000 compared to a week before when only over 4,000 pigs were listed as ASF infected.

Personnel from DA together with those from the National Met Inspection Service (NMIS), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) are working double time to control and prevent ASF from spreading and infecting hogs in neighboring towns in the province.

With the declaration of enhanced community quarantine to prevent the outbreak of the 2019 Coronavirus disease (Covid-19), animal checkpoints are now joined by border checkpoints as part of lockdowns imposed by local government units in their borders.

The Naga City Abattoir, which was closed for 20 days, is now open again, after the NMIS gave it clearance to operate.