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CARGILL PHILIPPINES, Inc. recently launched a program that aims to protect pig farms from the effects of African swine fever (ASF).
In a statement, the company said that its Cargill 360 ° Protection is a solution consisting of products, programs and services to mitigate the risk and spread of disease on local farms and to increase herd immunity in areas such as biosecurity of the farm, hygiene feeding, improved immunity and pig farming.
Cargill Philippines President Sonny Q. Catacutan said the company’s solution has been used in other countries such as Vietnam and China.
“From the environment to food and animals, businesses and consumers, Cargill 360 ° Protection works to protect every stage of the pig business. The Cargill research team has done studies, and an end-to-end solution like this would be our best option over a vaccine, “he said.
Mr. Catacutan maintained that there is still no vaccine for ASF and insisted that the best defense that can be made is prevention.
“Over the past year since ASF was declared in the country, we have been continually helping pig farmers who have been affected by the virus to restart their business and educating those who are fortunate enough not to have been affected to they stay safe, ”he said. said.
Despite the ongoing spread of African swine fever in the country, Catacutan said there is still a way to allow the local swine industry to prosper.
“As long as we take the necessary precautionary measures and are aware of each other’s role in stopping its spread, we are confident that ASF can be effectively contained,” he said.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said that fighting the spread of African swine fever will require a lot of effort from all stakeholders including the government, the private sector and pig owners.
Mr. Dar said that pig farm owners and pig farmers must strengthen their biosecurity and herd immunity measures as ASF disrupts the local supply of pork, thus putting businesses at risk.
“We have to take this seriously because it not only affects one of the largest industries in the country, but it also exploits an inherent weakness in Filipinos: we are such huge consumers of pork that no part of a pig is saved.” Said Mr. Dar said.
“It is through partnerships and collaborative efforts like this that will help alleviate the effects of ASF,” he added.
According to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), ASF is a viral hemorrhagic disease that affects domestic and wild pigs.
Since they were detected in 2019, more than 350,000 pigs have been culled in the Philippines as part of efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus. – Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
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