Managing ASF disruption
Bohol has no recorded case of African Swine Fever (ASF) yet. This explains why our local government units have intensified measures to prevent its entry into the province.
While intensified border controls are much-needed, especially these days when Bohol is the only remaining province in Central Visayas that has the “green level” status, the government’s plan of action, for now, appears to be concentrated on the prevention side.
Reports say that Bohol does not need an additional pork supply from the outside, especially Cebu, since the province currently enjoys a 271-percent supply sufficiency level. With this supply level, Bohol can afford to ban pork from other provinces. But we are looking at the best-case scenario when Bohol remains ASF-free.
It can be recalled that Bohol was able to insulate the province from the dreaded COVID-19 disease for weeks until it finally found entry like a thief of the night, despite very tight border controls.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, no treatment or vaccine is available for this disease. The only way to stop this disease is to depopulate all affected or exposed swine herds. So this means that a single case of ASF in one hog farm may require the depopulation of the entire herd. When this happens, the pork supply will definitely be a problem, causing pork prices to increase.
Consumers will now turn to other food supplies like fish, beef, chicken, and other meat products as substitutes. Interestingly, Boholanos have been complaining about the unusually high prices of basic commodities, including these food products.
With the imminent food supply problem, the worst-case scenario is when Bohol will run out of pork supply.
What is the government’s plan when this happens?
Of course, we cannot just be an optimist without a plan. According to one writer, one thing that makes it possible to be an optimist is to have a contingency plan when all hell breaks loose.
Border control is only a means to an end. Despite Bohol’s green-level status, ensuring food security for the Boholanos should already be the government’s priority.