Last Oct. 26, the City of San Fernando partnered with the Department of Agriculture (DA) to provide 45 piglets to 15 farmers in line with the swine production recovery program being held after the African Swine Fever (ASF) hit the country.

Aside from the piglets, the 13 farmers from Cadaclan and 2 farmers from Pias also received 3 weaners, 1 bag pre-starter (25kg), 3 bags starter (50kg/bag), 6 bags grower (50kg/bag), 3 bags finisher (50kg/bag), and veterinary drugs/biologics. These provisions will hopefully help them after all of their hogs were culled during the ASF pre-emptive culling from ground zero to 1 kilometer radius last March 2020.

Due to the eventual lack of supply in Luzon, the prices of pork meat in Region 1 climbed up from P300 to P380 per kilogram. And so, the DA and the City hope to rise above the crisis through the said recovery program.

According to Dr. Flosie Decena, City Veterinary Officer, they ensured that the 45 sentinel piglets are ASF-free after 40 days monitoring period and by complying with the implementing guidelines and monitoring the laboratory blood test results.

“Before the piglets were distributed to several farmers, we made sure to conduct two weeks of cleaning and disinfection of the backyard farms of the recipients. There was also geotagging of the backyard farms and two times bioassay or environment swabbing,” Dr. Decena said in her reports.

These activities were enacted in compliance with the DA’s Administrative Order Nos. 06 and 07, Series of 2021 which includes the implementing guidelines for the “Bantay ASF sa Barangay” Program (Executive Order 72-2021 dated April 9, 2021).

Aside from the City Veterinary Office, the distribution activities were also done in the presence of Ms. Karen F. Paningbatan, DA Regional Field Office I Representative; and Dr. Domingo Calub and Dr. Raquel Difuntorum, both representatives from the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian.

Together with our partners, we will continue to ensure the welfare of our farmers from the agriculture sector so we can rise together as one #SanFernandoTayo!