Hog cholera outbreak won't affect pork prices - Agri

The Department of Agriculture on Friday assured the public that the outbreak of the hog cholera in certain areas in Bulacan will have no effect on the supply and prices of pork in Metro Manila. In a statement, Bureau of Animal Industry officer-in-charge Davinio Catbagan said that while Bulacan is one of the country’s hog-growing centers and is a major pork supplier of Metro Manila, the outbreak of the hog cholera in the area was confined to only a few farms and will be under control. “The disease will be under control. We are assuring consumers that prices of pork are expected to remain stable despite the outbreak because the disease is only confined to a few farms, and hence, will have no effect on the supply of hogs to Metro Manila," Catbagan said. The government has declared a hog cholera alert in Luzon after the disease spread to backyard pig farms in Bulacan and Pampanga. Hog cholera is classified as a List A disease, meaning it not only poses a barrier to animal trade but is also highly infectious and spreads rapidly. The BAI official assured growers that hog cholera can be prevented through vaccination. Catbagan said Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has ordered BAI to look into the status of the hog vaccination program in Bulacan and direct the provincial veterinarian to submit a report on the possible causes of the outbreak. Citing BAI data, Catbagan said that current disease situation registered a mortality rate of less than 5 percent in Bulacan, where the disease occurred mostly in backyard farms. - GMANews.TV