Bureau of Animal Industry urged to rid Mindanao of hog diseases

MANILA, Philippines - Even as the swine flu scare continues to hang over the Philippines, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) is trying to respond to the request of the local hog sector to work on immediately clearing Mindanao of all hog diseases so that it can start exporting pork products.

Director Davinio Catbagan said BAI will prioritize the testing of hogs in Mindanao for any possible infection from the Ebola Reston virus (ERV) strain which had derailed plans of a Mindanao hog producer to start exporting pork products to Singapore.

He said a team from the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) has been in the country for a week now and is expected to stay for another week to trap bats and check if they are spreading the ERV to hogs in Pandi, Bulacan.

The Philippine government, through the US embassy, has reiterated its request for additional test kits from the US CDC to expand its testing of hogs in Luzon and Mindanao for any possible ERV infection.

Catbagan said the BAI will prioritize Mindanao in response to the call of hog farmers to finally clear the region and allow it to proceed with its derailed plan to start exporting pork products.

The Philippines is requesting for around 50,000 test kits, Catbagan said. The US CDC does not have enough test kits at present but will reportedly rush the production of the needed kits.

The export of pork products has been adversely affected in the past few months by the series of diseases affecting the sector — from swine flu to foot and mount disease, to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome to ERV.

Swine flu in the Philippines has been deemed under control with local hog stocks regularly vaccinated, while Mindanao has been completely declared free of FMD.