As ASF continues to be a problem in the country, the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) has promised PHP 5.5 million each to farmers’ cooperatives and associations for the construction of biosecure farms. The move is meant to keep ASF in check in order to get the disease under control.

This initiative is to be executed in partnership with the Philippine Society of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers, and the Department of Agriculture’s Integrated National Swim production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion, or INSPIRE Program.

As per the DA’s guidelines, the farms to be constructed under the program must have at least 4000 sqm of land, with a perimeter fence, climate-controlled animal house, and waste management facilities, among other requirements.

A modular design for these biosedure farms is to be proposed by the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering, along with the regional agricultural engineering divisions in their respective field offices.