Hog raisers say big piggeries also suffer due to ASF

Local hog raisers on Monday urged the government to also extend support to pork integrators who are currently battling an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in their farms.

Edwin Chen, past president of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines (Pro-Pork), said much of the government’s resources to combat ASF is being directed toward backyard piggeries, which, he said, generally lack the capability to produce on an industrial scale.

He explained that while focusing assistance on small, less-efficient hog farms may have inherent political benefits, it does little to address the need to increase domestic production.

Chen, who is also a director at the Philippine Chamber Agriculture and Food, Inc. (PCAFI), said government assistance “may take many forms,” but stopped short of saying whether his members are seeking financial assistance or other perks.

The businessman disclosed that ASF has already spread to piggeries in the Visayas and Mindanao, and is already taking its toll on the domestic production of pork.

Chen, however, said the supply of pork in the local market remains stable because of importation.

“There is no supply shortage (of pork) because we are importing so much. The country currently has an inventory of about 70-plus million kilos of imported pork,” he said.

Still, he warned that over-dependence on imports can eventually harm the domestic pork industry.

“Other countries that are also affected by ASF are focused on saving their local piggeries, and are not satisfied with just importing,” said Chen.

Meanwhile, PCAFI president Danilo Fausto told the Philippine News Agency that the larger and better-funded hog integrators must be given priority in the distribution of any new vaccine that will be proven effective against swine flu.

He explained that it is more practical to prioritize big piggeries because they have economies of scale, and are better equipped to meet the country’s growing demand for food.

“They (large piggeries) also have better bio-security practices, unlike backyard piggeries that may not have bio-security mechanisms at all,” he added.

Fausto explained that local consumers remain unaware of the ASF crisis because the availability of imported pork has resulted in lower retail prices. (PNA)