MORE than P1 million in financial assistance have been provided to at least 23 swine raisers from La Union and Ilocos Sur whose backyard piggeries who were affected by African Swine Fever (ASF).
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said that 15 ASF-affected raisers of Bario-an, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur received a total of P335,000 indemnification fund while 8 swine raisers from La Union received a total of P765,000.00.
Ms. Maurentina Pamintuan, one of the affected raisers received the highest average share of the indemnification amounting to P90, 000 with her 18 heads of swine culled during the culling operation conducted by the DA-Regulatory Division on the early part of December, 2020.
As per DA’s record on reported ASF-related cases in Ilocos Region, there were 36,530 total culled animals due to ASF in the three provinces affecting 5,279 raisers. From among the three provinces, Pangasinan got the biggest share of the indemnity fund which amounts to P98.805 million affecting 2,672 raisers from the 36 towns affected with ASF.
In La Union, a total of 9,160 animals culled during the DA’s culling operations valued at P45.8 million affecting 1,379 raisers from the 13 towns and 1 city of the province.
The indemnification program is the DA’s response to all the ASF affected swine raisers which provides P5,000 for every animals culled. To date, DA has released a total of P109.275 million cash assistance to 3,099 ASF affected farmers for the indemnification of 21,828 culled swine in Region I.
Meanwhile, only the province of Ilocos Norte remains to be ASF-free province in the region with no reported incidence of ASF as of date.
