African swine fever now in Kidapawan City
AGRICULTURE • 20:15 PM Sat Aug 15, 2020
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By:
WILLIAMOR MAGBANUA
A worker of North Cotabato provincial veterinary office sprays chemicals around the areas where hogs were culled due to ASF infections. (Willimar Magbanua)
KIDAPAWAN CITY – An agriculture official on Saturday said the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus has already penetrated one of the 40 villages here.
Arlan Mangelen, regional director of Department of Agriculture 12, blood samples collected from several hogs raisers in Barangay Linangcob showed ASF’presence in the village.
Mangelen said ASF is now affecting domesticated hogs and high breed swine in at least 4 areas in North Cotabato province before the Kidapawan City report. He was referring to the towns of Magpet, Arakan and President Roxas.
Barangay Linangcob Chairman Rodolfo Rodriguez said that at least 324 hogs were culled within the 5-10 kilometer radius protocol of DA.
Rodriguez immediately told his villagers to immediately butcher their pigs and bury it instead of consuming or selling the meat to prevent the ASF contaminations.
The village chair also gathered his constituents to discuss possible precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus to other areas of the village.
Mangelen pegged the ASF devastations in Cotabato province to about P7 million.
“What we need is cooperation from our people. Let us all be very vigilant and help the government in the campaign against the ASF,” Mangelen said. (Williamor A. Magbanua)