The Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (DA-PCIC) on Thursday urged backyard and commercial hog raisers to secure insurance packages to protect their livelihoods in case their farms are affected by the African swine fever (ASF).

“As the Department of Agriculture intensifies efforts to encourage hog raisers to get back to business and, ultimately, help pork production rebound, availing of an insurance coverage is a prudent safety net for existing raisers and for those in ASF-free areas who will venture into this business,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a statement.