DA Links with LGUs on Animal Disease Detection and Control

The Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office in Mandaue City on Wednesday bared its new program on its linking with local government units (LGU) on farm and backyard animal diseases detection and control.

DA7 Regional Information Officer Merilyn Talagon said this linkages was formalized last week during the orientation seminar held at Welcome Hotel at the Ayala Business Park, Cebu City.

Talagon said the provincial veterinarians and municipal public information officers who attended the training workshop were the ones who made the proposal as they identified LGUs, such as provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, and barangay captains as the most effective personalities in the localities to help identify animal diseases and help to contain it.

According to Talagon that with close coordination between the LGUs and the DA regional office, animal diseases can be prevented.

“I don’t see any reasons to have more animal diseases to emerge in large scale, here in the region”, she added.

Talagon said the LGU role after detecting animal diseases which apparently affect his constituents’ livelihood, is to allocate funds for medicines against the disease as his indirect aid to his constituents.

Talagon stressed that farmers need to have a traditional double income derived from both farm products and backyard animals.

But if there are animal diseases that affect their livelihood, that is the time for the LGU to come up with support and extend even his financial services to his constituents, Talagon said.

“This is how they give importance to the role of LGUs on animal disease detection and at the same time controlling it against spreading into other neighboring animals in a locality,” she said.

Talagon told the said training was the fifth of the series of undertakings over ten regions in the country conducted by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

DA7 OIC Regional Executive Director Angel Enriquez also cited LGUs involvement on the program as the first line of an effective defense against animal diseases and control.

Enriquez also commended the livestock team for maintaining Central Visayas free from Avian Flu and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).