Int’l - Philippine pigs declared free from foot and mouth disease

After 12 years, Batangas hogs have been declared free of foot and mouth disease (FMD), said a report made by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)-created National Foot and Mouth Disease Task Force during an agricultural summit here on Wednesday.

The province, which supplies 50 to 60 percent of Metro Manila’s pork, counted 190 FMD cases in a reported outbreak from 1995-2005, that affected 25 towns and the cities of Batangas, Lipa and Tanauan.

The BAI declaration came after the agency found out that no single FMD case has occurred in the province since January last year.

BAI assistant director Dr. Vic Atienza said their move is a way of “removing the trade barrier or economic disease in the country’s hog exports.”

At the height of the outbreak, provincial veterinarian Dr. Rodrigo Bautista said Batangas hog traders were unable to export their pigs to Northern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

“Being FMD-free is such a great blessing. There would be no more restrictions in animal transport, living or dead,” Bautista added.

FMD is a highly contagious and sometimes fatal viral infection among cattle and pigs. Infection is usually transmitted through direct contact with infected animals or with contaminated pens or vehicles used to transport livestock.

The disease is characterized by high fever that declines rapidly after two or three days, blisters inside the mouth that lead to excessive secretion of stringy or foamy saliva, and blisters on the feet that may rupture and cause lameness.

The disease is widespread throughout the world except parts of South and Central America, United States, Australia, Canada and rest of Europe.

Bautista said the number of hog raisers in the country has gone up over the years, which made it difficult for the provincial veterinary office to monitor animal movement within its area of responsibility.

Slaughter houses were not strict in terms of accepting pigs from traders which may have caused the FMD spread in Batangas hog farms, he said.

To prevent the disease spread, the PVO enforced biosecurity measures, which include a closure order and quarantine of infected farms, burning of infected farm stocks, massive vaccination of hogs located three kilometers away from affected farms and establishment animal checkpoints on highway roads.

FMD cases reportedly went down from 32 to this year’s zero, said the Batangas Task Force Foot and Mouth Disease.

Felix Tolentino, president of the Batangas Animal Traders and Handlers Association, hailed BAI’s move, saying the disease alone caused a decrease in pork prices at P55 per kilo, which resulted in massive loss of revenues among hog raisers and traders alike.

He also expects their market share to increase since buyers from other FMD-free regions would no longer be hesitant to buy pork from Batangas.

By Dec. 18, Atienza said the BAI expects to declare Batangas an FMD protected area along with Laguna, Nueva Ecija and National Capital Region.

Bautista said it took 20 years before the disease, which was controlled in 1975, returned to the Philippines in 1995.