Iloilo City set to declare freedom from ASF

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Iloilo City is on the brink of being officially declared free from African Swine Fever (ASF) by the Department of Agriculture-Region 6 (DA-6), a notable milestone reached just over a year since the initial outbreak.

In a letter dated March 13 and received on March 22, DA-6 Regional Director Dennis Arpia gave the green light for the city to proceed with their ‘Local Declaration for ASF Freedom’.

This was based on documents submitted by the city government to the DA based on the agency’s Administrative Order No. 30, Series of 2021 (Guideline on the Recovery and Declaration of Freedom from ASF for Local Government Units), which include:

–              Copy of ordinance or executive order (transitory) on Adoption of Bantay ASF sa Barangay (BABay) ASF Program;

–              Copy of the city’s farm registry of the municipality (includes proof of membership in Farmers’ Cooperative and Associations, if applicable, and Registry System of Basic Sector of Agriculture membership number);

–              List of trainings on Swine Biosecurity attended by local government unit (LGU) staff; and

–              Summary of the narrative ASF history in the city, including summary of outbreaks, surveillance, and measures to prevent the reintroduction of ASF in the area.

But before they submit these documents, an LGU has to have the following eligibility criteria under Section 2 of the same administrative order:

–              No ASF active break in both backyard and commercial holdings for at least 40 days;

–              An ordinance or executive order dealing with prevention control of ASF;

–              Registration of both commercial and backyard swine farmers; and

–              Recovery protocol (i.e. Culling of infected and exposed pigs, cleaning and disinfection, environmental surveillance of affected areas, and placement of sentinel animals from areas being upgraded from ‘Pink’ to ‘Yellow’ Zones).

Jonic Natividad, DA-6’s Regulatory Division chief, clarified that LGUs can declare their ‘freedom’ from ASF if they meet the agency’s stringent requirements.

“If the LGU has satisfied the four requirements, they may be allowed to [make] a local declaration that there are no known cases of ASF. You cannot term [the city] as ASF-free,” Natividad explained.

“Once an area is under the [Pink Zone status], it means that they no longer have a case and are implementing their executive order or ordinance regarding ASF prevention or control,” he added.

Natividad also said that hogs, pork, and pork products may enter into Iloilo City, provided that their origins will be declared and the said animals and meat will undergo inspection.

“For example, if the pig is from Capiz, it would have to be subject for validation. They are being checked in the slaughterhouse, so if there are signs, they are being reported by the City Veterinarian or the slaughterhouse master,” he said.

According to Iloilo City Veterinarian Office (ICVO) head Fernando Abulencia, the city is transitioning from a ‘Red’ to a ‘Pink’ Zone, indicating a move away from confirmed cases to a buffer status.

DA Administrative Order No. 6 Series of 2021 indicates that a Red or Infected Zone is an area with confirmed cases of ASF, while Pink or Buffer Zones include cities and municipalities adjacent to Red Zone, and are areas considered mainly as market area for hogs.

“We will go to Pink first, then Yellow. We cannot proceed to Yellow Zone directly. The DA will be the one to announce the [change in status]. They will issue a certification on the progress of zoning, stating that Iloilo City, from Red, will be Pink, just like several parts of Guimaras [province] that were already Pink [Zones],” Abulencia explained.

Abulencia added that they will continue to strictly monitor and conduct surveillance in the city, which only has backyard hog raisers.

“There can be serological surveillance [through] our blood sampling which are random, or via negative reports when the pigs report signs and symptoms. Those are the usual things that we do,” he said.

He said that the city may request to be elevated to a Yellow Zone status if its state remains to have no outbreaks nor known cases of ASF for 40 days, with the following requirements to be submitted to the DA under the guidelines:

–              A narrative report on Commencement of Repopulation Procedures, including negative disease monitoring reports and surveillance test results; and

–              Results of Bi-annual conduct of ASF Surveillance.

A Yellow Zone or surveillance zone refers to a “a high-risk area because of dense population of swine and volume of trade of pigs, pork and pork products.”