Clarificatory Guidelines on Swine Depopulation after African Swine Fever (ASF) Confirmation

April 17, 2020

DA MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 24-20

 

WHEREAS, depopulation has been successfully implemented and utilized as an effective disease control strategy in the National Foot and Mouth Disease Eradication Programme of the Philippines as well as in the control of other diseases such as the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza;

WHEREAS, Administrative Order No. 22, Series of 2020 (Directing All Government Agencies and Local Government Units to Strictly Implement and Comply with the National Zoning and Movement Plan for African Swine Fever) issued by the Office of the President last 5 February 2020, to provide guidance in the implementation of DA Administrative Circular No. 12, Series of 2020 on National Zoning and Movement Plan for the Prevention and Control of African Swine Fever (ASF);

WHEREAS, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), control of African Swine Fever (ASF) during outbreaks and in affected countries can be difficult and must be adapted to the specific epidemiological situation;

WHEREAS, at the onset of the Philippines ASF outbreak, the 1-7-10 protocol was conceptualized and introduced to manage, contain and control the spread of the disease;

WHEREAS, Section 1.1 of Memorandum Circular No. 10, Series of 2019 titled Veterinary Quarantine Movement Protocol and Reiteration of Food Safety Measures during Animal Disease Outbreaks/Emergencies, prescribed that mandatory test and destruction shall be applied on all animals within the 1 km radius Quarantine Zone; CAIHTE

WHEREAS, government veterinarians implementing the depopulation protocol in ASF-affected areas observed that 15-20% only of the culled animals manifested clinical signs of the disease;

WHEREAS, the distances recommended in the 1-7-10 guidelines, although considered as internationally accepted by World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), are not prescriptive and allow countries to define zones according to what is applicable and acceptable locally.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM D. DAR, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Definitions. —

1. Index case — the first documented animal or farm in a disease outbreak within a population.

2. Infected Premises — defined as the specific location with live pigs such as but not limited to farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses, which tested positive for ASF virus using the recommended laboratory test.

3. Quarantine Area (QA) — defined as the area up to 1-kilometer radius from the infected farm premises.

4. Outside Quarantine Area (OQA) — defined as the area outside the 1-kilometer radius from the Infected Premises, up to the administrative boundary of the City/Municipality classified as a Red Zone (Infected Zone).

5. Depopulation — the rapid and deliberate killing of infected, potentially infected, or contact animals in an attempt to "stamp out" disease and prevent it from spreading to a healthy population while employing prescribed means of humane culling according to the Animal Welfare Act. Depopulation tends to be favored over selective depopulation if the disease agent is exotic to the area or spreads rapidly.

6. Non-selective (Ring) Depopulation — this is the rapid and deliberate killing of infected, potentially infected, or contact animals within the Infected premises and Quarantine Area. DETACa

7. Selective (Targeted) Depopulation — Similar to nonselective depopulation in purpose and procedure but with a defined coverage, targeting identified infected and exposed animals in a specific animal facility or locality.

8. Test and destroy — a method of case finding, usually by means of laboratory testing, and then the killing of test-positive animals. This is appropriate for the initial phase of the control program when the disease is spreading slowly and when the disease control officials opted to apply selective depopulation.

SECTION 2. Factors that Favor Selective Depopulation. —

1 Early reporting of the disease

2. Isolated cases and incursions

3. Effective biosecurity practices in the farm and neighboring piggeries

4. The affected animals are recently introduced in the area and maintained in one location with minimal contact with other indigenous pig population

5. Availability of resources to implement immediate culling

6. Availability of manpower and resources for strict implementation of animal movement restrictions according to the National Zoning and Movement Plan

SECTION 3. Factors That Warrant Non-selective Depopulation. —

1. Late reporting of the disease

2. Poor biosecurity practices in the area

3. Swine raisers accessing a common source of uncooked swill feed

4. Three (3) or more infected premises of ASF laboratory detection or swine mortalities in the area

SECTION 4. Progression of Depopulation for Identified Swine Categories. —

1. After ASF confirmation, a selective depopulation should be conducted within 48 hours in the farm affected.

2. For situations that warrant larger coverage, as determined by the Incident Command, nonselective depopulation of ASF-positive pigs and exposed pigs within the 500 meters radius should initially be done. The radius for depopulation is expanded depending on the outcome of surveillance and technical recommendation of the DA regional ASF Incident Command. aDSIHc

3. Sequence of culling — Where there is an outbreak of infectious disease, infected animals should be killed first. Secondly, animals which are known to have been in contact with infected animals, and finally the remaining animals on the premises.

SECTION 5. Depopulation in Backyard Farms. —

1. All live pigs inside the backyard premises are to be stamped out.

2. The stamping-out should be completed in 5 days or less, regardless of the population.

3. Disposal/burial should be preferably on-site. If due to space constraints burial is to be done off-site, the infected and exposed pigs should be transported to the burial site using appropriate vehicle with provision on preventing any spillage of virus-contaminated materials during transport.

4. Trace-back any pig movement the premises for the last thirty (30) days. Monitor the health status of the pigs in these contact premises.

5. This backyard farm should discontinue receiving any live pig upon declaration of being an infected premise.

6. In cases of high-density backyard-raising in the area, leading to a high risk of disease spread, these backyard farms shall be clustered as one epidemiological unit, and accordingly stamped out.

SECTION 6. Active Surveillance in the Quarantine Zone. —

1. Clinical and laboratory surveillance of all pigs or epidemiologically acceptable sample size, whichever is feasible within the 500 meters radius immediately succeeding the initial 500 meters depopulation radius, shall be conducted promptly to support the decisions related to extension or cessation of culling.

2. The prescribed cleaning, disinfection and negative reporting should be observed in these areas.

SECTION 7. Testing and Clearance of Swine Farms within the Quarantine Area. —

1. Conditions for Backyard farms:

a. Simultaneously from within, clinical inspection of all pig populations with laboratory screening for ASF. The BAI-accredited and validated tests can be used for field screening. Any positive reactors to be validated using PCR, and stamping out procedures should follow suit upon confirmation. ETHIDa

b. Testing should be conducted from the infected area going outward or radially from within — so positive animals can be detected and culled right away to prevent further spread — being the nearest population to the ground zero.

2. Condition for Commercial Farms. Compliance to DA AO No. 10, Series of 2019 in securing Certificate of Free Status on ASF (CFS-ASF).

SECTION 8. Restrictions on Movement of Animals from the Quarantine Area Cleared for Slaughter. —

1. Backyard Farms

a. Animals coming from within the Quarantine Area which are tested and cleared shall only be allowed for slaughter in a registered abattoir located within the city/municipality.

b. Trade of meat from these areas shall also be limited within the-city/municipality.

c. Prevention of movement of animals, meat and meat products from the OQA to other municipalities shall be implemented through local quarantine measures (quarantine checkpoints).

d. Backyard farms cleared for slaughter can start to move out pigs but only between areas with similar status within the municipality. If to be picked up by viajero, the Shipping Permit should indicate the destination and the number of heads to be picked up in backyard farms within the 1 km radius.

2. Market of commercial farms cleared for slaughter is limited to RED Zone and NCR (Pink Zone).

SECTION 9. Settlement of Disputes. —

A mechanism for the settlement of disputes regarding the operation of the guidelines shall be set up, including appeals to the Secretary and to the courts of law.

SECTION 10. Effectivity. —

This Order shall take effect immediately. cSEDTC

DONE, in the City of Quezon, this 17th day April, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty.

(SGD.) WILLIAM D. DAR, PhDSecretary