BALER, Aurora (PIA) -- About 147 affected hog raisers in 11 barangays of Dilasag, Aurora benefitted from the indemnity payout of the provincial government.

The beneficiaries received P3,000 for every pig culled due to African Swine Fever (ASF).

Municipal Agriculture Officer Elizabeth Antolin-Pascual disclosed that Dilasag recorded the highest number of ASF cases in the province from November 18, 2022 to January 27, 2023 which resulted in P13 million worth of damage to livestock.

Meanwhile, Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) Provincial Livestock Program Coordinator Cheryl Marie Abuyuan explained that the indemnification aims to help the local hog raisers to recover from their losses.

The provincial government has already extended a total of P6 million worth of indemnification payouts for three municipalities namely Dilasag this October and Dipaculao and Baler last September.

Aside from financial assistance, PVO is also conducting an advocacy campaign to raise awareness on the containment of ASF in the province.

Abuyuan urged farmers to strengthen the biosecurity measures of their farms and not use "sagmaw" as food for their pigs as it increases the risk of ASF.

Aurora is still in the Red Zone as ASF instances are still active throughout the province. (CLJD/MAT-PIA 3)