On December 1, 2021, the Department of Agriculture, Regional Field Office XI delivered 130 heads piglets to Brgy. Dominga, Brgy. Lamanan and Brgy. Inayangan as part of the Repopulation Program of the African Swine Fever (ASF) affected areas.  These hogs are sourced by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) from certified ASF-free farms and serve as sentinel pigs. Listed below is the distribution of the animals.

DISTRIBUTION OF PIGLETS

Daily monitoring of hogs ensues, following the Sentinel Protocol stipulated in Administrative Order No. 30, Series of 2021 of the Department of Agriculture.  The herd will be under observation for forty days for any clinical signs related to ASF and other infectious diseases.  The farmer recipients of sentinel stocks, and with the supervision of the  City Veterinarian’s Office personnel, must submit the duly accomplished  ASF Health Declaration Form (Annex F) to the BAI and DA ASF Prevention and Control Program. On January 10, 2021, the last day of monitoring, the Davao City Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (DCADDL) personnel under the City veterinarian’s Office will collect blood samples from the sentinel pigs for ASF Test.  If results are positive, the depopulation of the herd follows.  But if the test results are negative, the sentinel pigs can be slaughtered for human consumption or use as breeders.  Once all the representative animals in the three barangays tested negative for ASF antigen, the DA will upgrade the ASF Zoning Classification of the areas from Pink (buffer zone) to Yellow (surveillance zone).

To recall, in February 2020, African Swine Fever infected three barangays, namely,   Dominga, Lamanan, and Inayangan.  It resulted in the depopulation of hogs within a one-kilometer radius of the infected areas to contain the disease.  And as a consequence, the livelihood of swine raisers was greatly affected.  However, to lessen the financial strain, the distressed farmers were indemnified by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, and by the Department of Agriculture, Regional Field Office XI.