Agri dep’t turns to ‘AI’ to rebuild hog industry

The government is turning to artificial insemination or “AI” to increase the hog population in the Philippines as part of continuing efforts to revive the industry still grappling with African swine fever (ASF).

In this light, the Department of Agriculture (DA) issued Memorandum Circular No. 28 to implement the Modified Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (Inspire) Program.

The Inspire program focuses on accelerating calibrated repopulation and production expansion through farm clustering and consolidation, seeking to regain the industry’s capacity to produce a sufficient supply of hogs and pork.

But since its implementation in 2021, the DA sees the need to revise, adjust and improve current strategies “to address challenges and practical concerns” that will ensure the successful implementation of the hog population.

“There is a need to enhance and refocus the implementing strategies of the repopulation program, to achieve the targets of the project and stabilize the price of pork in the retail market,” the July 1 memo read.

It added that ASF is a “very resistant virus” which can survive on clothes, boots, wheels and other surfaces.

“Once a farm or a herd is affected, the chance of eradicating the disease is slim since there is no treatment or available vaccine as of the moment. It is not a danger to human health but when pig herds are affected, there is a 100-percent mortality rate,” the DA said.

The Modified Inspire Program will work on creating breeder farms with quality breeder stocks in select areas, and adopting enhanced institute biosecurity measures. It will prioritize areas or islands free of animal disease.

“This specifically will revive the swine industry, address the shortage of piglets, give livelihood to previous swine raisers, and ensure ownership and sustainability of the intervention,” the DA said.

The agency also expects the program to reduce the possibility of ASF infection, sustain the production of piglets and provide technical support to beneficiaries.

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The revised program will substitute 10 percent of imported pork (about 60,000 metric tons) by boosting local production.

It will apply the sow-weaner operation through the establishment of multiplier and production farms to produce piglets for weaning using AI.

Multiplier farms will house grandparent swine breeder stocks to produce parent stocks while production farms will maintain parent stocks and/or F1 stocks—the cross between to pure-bred parents—to produce piglets intended for grow-out as slaughter pigs.

Each farm is required to build a biosecurity facility with a minimum land area of 2,000 to 5,000 square meters, inclusive of the perimeter fence, climate-controlled animal house/conventional facility, waste management, basic farm equipment, office and shower area.