Leyte town declared free from African swine fever

ABUYOG, Leyte––Agriculture Secretary William Dar declared Tuesday this town as free from the African Swine Fever (ASF).

The town confirmed its first ASF case on Jan. 15, making it the first area in Eastern Visayas to have been infected with ASF.

The disease later spread to 48 other areas in Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar provinces.

The DA released P10.97 million as part of its assistance to the affected hog farmers.

“The good news is that Abuyog in Leyte is the first municipality to be declared ASF-free. This means they could now repopulate again,” Dar said.

He praised the local government for its proactive stance in addressing the ASF incident.

“The local government here is so proactive in helping the hog raisers. They want to revitalize the industry immediately,” Dar said.

Abuyog Mayor Lemuel Gin Traya expressed gratitude for the assistance and the declaration of his town as ASF-free.

The ASF scare has affected more than 1,000 hog raisers in his town, with over 5,000 pigs culled to contain the spread of the virus.

Dar said the Department of Agriculture was still monitoring other areas hit by ASF.

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