Iloilo – The Provincial Veterinarian’s Office in Iloilo is gearing up to prioritize 1,350 backyard farmers in the sentineling program, a recovery and repopulation initiative against African swine fever (ASF). This program, once made available by the Department of Agriculture, will assess the readiness of areas to resume hog raising activities.
According to Philippines News Agency, the focus is on farmers previously affected by ASF who are willing to re-engage in hog raising. Tabuada stated in an interview on Tuesday that training on biosecurity guidelines and the Tapak (Step), Hugas (Wash), and Matinlo nga Pagpakaon (clean feeding), collectively known as the TaHuM campaign against ASF, has been completed for farmers from 27 municipalities with recorded ASF cases.
The training involved 50 farmers from each of the affected municipalities, including Oton, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, and several others. The program covered topics like ASF recovery updates, biosecurity guidelines, and the TaHuM campaign. Tabuada emphasized the shift from conventional swine raising to methods that integrate biosecurity components, including the installation of perimeter fences, foot baths, washing areas, and disinfection procedures.
Following the training, assessments will be conducted on farms to verify the implementation of the biosecurity measures. The Department of Agriculture is currently validating the list of farmers submitted by the province for potential inclusion in the sentineling program. This initiative is a critical step in ensuring the safe recovery of the swine industry in Iloilo, previously hit hard by ASF.
