City of Malolos, Bulacan—Some 900 pigs were culled Saturday in a farm in Norzagaray after being tested positive for African swine fever (ASF).
The ASF-infected pigs were owned by a certain Edwin Ong of the Eco Agri Farm located in Barangay FVR, Norzagaray. The hogs were also buried at the farm.
Agapito Pascual, municipal agriculturist of the local government of Norzagaray, said the pigs were electrocuted before being buried.
“The way of the pigs’ depopulation underwent proper protocols and procedures wherein after the culling was performed, the whole farm was disinfected to control the virus,” Pascual said.
Four more backyard raisers covered in the one-kilometer radius will undergo a series of tests as part of the protocol.
Dennis Arceo, a staff of the Norzaragay Municipal Office, said Mayor Fred Germar immediately sent a group to inspect the pigs in the area after they started showing symptoms of ASF.
Arceo said the local government of Norzagaray and the provincial government of Bulacan are now conducting preventive measures in the areas.
“We are also continuously monitoring other farms and backyard raisers that are likely to be affected by the ASF,” Pascual said.
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