The government’s sentineling program is raising the confidence of farmers to return to the swine industry after the African swine fever (ASF) infestation, a Department of Agriculture (DA) official said on Tuesday, June 18.

“This is the time when we boost the confidence level of farmers to reinvest and this is spearheaded by the government,” DA-6 (Western Visayas) Executive Director Dennis Arpia said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas.

He noted that 26 local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas have progressed from red (infected zone) to pink (buffer zone) and are already in the sentineling process, while 15 others are waiting for approval.

The sentineling process is not only about the dispersal of piglets but also includes the participation of the concerned LGU, which shall release an executive order detailing the measures against ASF, biosecurity level readiness of farmers, and awareness training.

Piglets will then be dispersed to identified farmers and monitored for 40 days.

If the piglets survive, it means negative presence of the virus, and they can proceed to the yellow zone, a signal for the start of breeding and repopulation.

“We recognize the big contribution of the livestock sector, particularly our swine farmers, in the economy and food security, not just in Western Visayas, but the wide part of the country affected by African swine fever,” Arpia said. (PNA)