THE African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in Cauayan City had cost the pig industry close to P100 million, according to the city local government. In his Virtual State of the City Address over the weekend, Mayor Bernard Faustino Dy said the ASF outbreak resulted in a total of 19,716 hogs affected. Dy added that the outbreak severely impacted hog raisers as the spread of the swine disease was found in 38 of the 65 barangay (villages) in the city. “This was a sad state in the hog industry in the city, causing farmers to suffer a loss of P98,580,000,” he said. Of the total pigs infected by the ASF virus, the city government has recorded at least 3,000 domestic pigs that were subjected to culling or burying as a measure to prevent the spread of the disease to domestic pigs or backyard hog raising. Dy said many workers whose livelihood only depends on raising, reselling or transporting pig meat or live pigs were displaced. The city and the national government have extended livelihood assistance to some of them, including the indemnity for their culled pigs.
