Six towns in Catanduanes have been officially declared free of African Swine Fever (ASF), with the other five towns to follow soon, the Provincial Veterinary Office disclosed last week.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Jane Rubio said that Virac, Pandan, Caramoran, San Miguel, Viga and Gigmoto have been declared ASF-free after complying with the requirements of Department of Agriculture (DA) Administrative Order No. 30, series of 2021, that set the guidelines on the recovery and declaration of freedom from ASF for local government units.
Pursuant to AO No. 22, s. 2020, issued by the Office of the President and DA Administrative Circular No. 12, s. 2019, the zoning category of the six towns have been lifted from Red (Infected) Zone to Pink (Buffer) Zone.
The lifting grants permission to local pig farms to maximize their full restocking capacity, the guidelines state.
It may be recalled that ASF was first detected in the last quarter of 2020, with 40 hogs dead from the disease or depopulated at the Catanduanes State University and nearby Danicop.
It then spread to nine other towns, with only Bagamanoc spared of the mass slaughter of pigs after blood samples taken from suspected ASF cases tested negative at the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RADDL).
By the end of February 2021, a total of 1,870 sick and healthy pigs were depopulated, PVET records show, with the bulk coming from Bato (434), San Andres (377) and Virac (276).
Among the requirements for then ASF-free declaration include a copy of the municipal ordinance on the adoption of the “Bantay ASF sa Barangay” program, farm registry of the municipality as proof of membership, a list of training on swine bio-security attended by LGU staff, summary of ASF history in the municipalities including the outbreaks, surveillance, and measures taken to prevent return of ASF in the area.
Some supporting documents are also required for submission, like narrative reports on the start of repopulation procedures including negative disease monitoring reports and surveillance test results, and the bi-annual ASF surveillance results.
Under AO#30, all LGUs with no reported outbreak for at least 40 days from the last day of cleaning and disinfection are eligible for ASF-free declaration.
Dr. Rubio bared that 40 days after the sentinel pigs were distributed, the blood tests taken from them were negative.
To ensure that the province is already ASF-free, another round of random blood sample collection was conducted in the last week of November 2022 in all 315 barangays, with the sample sizes based on population in hog farms.
A team from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and the DA regional office, augmented by PVET personnel, conducted the collection of samples in seven towns, with Bato, Baras, Gigmoto and Panganiban opting not to participate in the activity.
As a result, the PVET personnel had to do the sample collection for the last four towns.
San Andres, on the other hand, failed to join the first six towns due to lacking documents while the status of Bagamanoc, which has remained ASF-free, will be upgraded to Yellow (surveillance) zone from Pink (buffer) zone.
With the blood samples testing negative, PVET is set to endorse the rest of the 11 municipalities for the ASF-free declaration upon completion of the documentary requirements.
Meanwhile, the PVET is spearheading the celebration of the National Rabies Awareness Month through the provincial reorientation on Rabies Prevention and Control and Stakeholder Consultative Forum (Mar. 9), rabies vaccination in every town this March to April, dog population control/castration this month, and a dog parade this March 28 from Plaza Rizal to the Capitol grounds.