MANILA, Philippines — The spread of African swine fever (ASF) in the country can be traced to people who continue to buy, butcher and sell sick hogs, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said at a press briefing in Malacañang on Wednesday.
“The situation now is being utilized by hog traders who buy sick hogs from affected areas,” Dar said, adding that these traders slaughter the ASF-affected pigs in their homes instead of slaughterhouses, and use private vehicles to transport the carcasses to avoid detection from authorities.
But officials had managed to intercept many of them, Dar said.
Hog traders should beware of pigs showing symptoms of ASF, which include high fever, loss of appetite, reddening of the skin and hemorrhages of the internal organs, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
Dar said affected hog raisers had been given native cows and chickens to raise.
So far, the DA has culled 1.85 percent of 12.8 million hogs due to ASF.