More areas under quarantine over possible African swine fever —Dar

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has placed more areas under quarantine for possible presence of African swine fever, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said Saturday.

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

"Nadagdagan pa po 'yung mga lugar na under quarantine pero hindi muna namin puwedeng sabihin kung saan," Dar said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV aired on GMA News TV.

"Meron po sa Central Luzon pero hindi pa po namin puwedeng sabihin para magawa natin 'yung ground zero or '1-7-10' protocol natin," he said.

The DA has been 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.

ASF-affected areas were earlier reported in Rodriguez and Antipolo, Rizal and in Guiguinto, Bulacan.

Dar reiterated his call for hog raisers not to conceal but rather immediately report to authorities any suspicious swine deaths in light of the recent discovery of dead pigs in Marikina River and a Quezon City creek.

Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro on Friday banned fishing in the Marikina River after dozens of the dead pigs floated down the waterway the day before.

The Quezon City Veterinary Department will cull all pigs in Barangay Bagong Silangan, Quezon City if samples taken from the dead pigs found in a stream test positive for African Swine Fever.

Quezon City Veterinarian Dr Ana Maria Cabel told GMA News that the three dead pigs and one pig head found in the stream had already been burned after samples were taken by the Bureau of Animal Industry.

Dar said authorities will use both "convincing and compulsory powers" to compel affected hog raisers to surrender their pigs suspected with disease for culling.

"E 'di isasama na namin ang pulis para wala nang magawa dahil kukunin na namin, kokolektahin namin," Dar said.

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

Despite the outbreak of the ASF, Dar said the price of pork remains stable and there will be enough supply in time for the Christmas season. —Ted Cordero/KG, GMA News