Dar appeals to hog raisers to report, not hide suspicious animal deaths

Given the recent discovery of dead pigs in both the Marikina River and a Quezon City creek, Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Friday appealed to backyard hog raisers not to conceal but rather immediately report suspicious swine deaths to authorities.

An estimated 30 to 50 dead pigs were spotted floating down the Marikina River while around six more were discovered in a creek in Barangay Bagong Silangan. 

Dar suspected that the carcasses were from "ground zeros" - areas in Rizal and Guiginto, Bulacan earlier reported to be hit by the African Swine Fever (ASF).

Around 7,416 pigs were culled in the said areas due to suspected ASF, the Cabinet official said.

ASF is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease of pigs, warthogs, European wild boar, and American wild pigs.

After receiving the results of blood samples from the pigs that died in Rizal province, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced on Monday that the majority of the samples were positive for ASF. 

"Ang problema kasi sa ground zeros, sa earlier affected areas andaming nagtapon. Tinago nila under their own initiative and this is now the problem sila na 'yung kumakalat ng mga baboy diyan ang hirap talaga," Dar said.

"So nakikiusap po tayo sa lahat ng may affected na mga hogs i-report na agad sa mga BAI (Bureau of Animal Industry) agents natin, NMIS (National Meat Inspection Service), veterinarians ng provincial government para tutungo agad mag-declare na ng 1-7-10 protocol, very effective po ito," he emphasized.

Hiding cases of swine deaths would only aggravate the situation, the Agriculture chief noted.

"Kung 'di natin masugpo yan dadami po ang apektado na mga hog raisers," he warned.

The DA was vigorously enforcing the “1-7-10 Protocol” to control the ASF from spreading. 

Under the protocol, quarantine checkpoints which monitor the movement of live pigs, pork, and pork products, were set up in areas within a 1-kilometer radius of affected farms.

Within a 7-kilometer radius, authorities surveil and limit animal movement.

Farm owners within the 10-kilometer radius were mandated to report any disease to the DA.

"Maki-cooperate po tayo 'yung mga backyard hog raisers otherwise pinapalala natin ang problema. We are spreading the virus and this is what is happening, dumping the dead pigs in the river. Mahirap po 'yun," Dar said.

"I am worried as everyone else, ang ganda sana na kung may apektado na lugar ay i-report sa kinauukulan at gagawin natin ang lahat ang makakaya para 'di na kakalat ang pathogens na ito," he said.

While the DA suspected that the pig carcasses in the Marikina River and QC creek were from the areas earlier placed under the 1-7-10 protocol, Dar said authorities would nevertheless continue to investigate the matter until they had a definite answer. — DVM, GMA News