FREE PIGLETS. The Legazpi City Veterinary Office (CVO) distributes on Tuesday (Nov. 30, 2021) free imported piglets to pre-identified raisers. CVO chief, Dr. Emmanuel Estipona, said the move aims to help the swine industry recover from the slump caused by the African swine fever outbreak. (Photo from Law Beltran's Facebook page) LEGAZPI CITY - The City Veterinary Office (CVO) here has distributed free imported piglets to pre-identified raisers to rapidly propagate hogs and help the industry recover from the slump brought by the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak. Each recipient was handed at least two imported female piglets that could propagate 10 or more piglets per breeding season. CVO chief Dr. Emmanuel Estipona and Aldine Mina, president of the Legazpi Livestock and Poultry Raisers Agri Cooperative (LLPRAC), led the initial piglet distribution in Barangay Pawa on Tuesday. Estipona, in an interview on Wednesday, said once fully grown, the pigs would be subjected to artificial insemination to make sure that the offspring would be of first-class quality. "These will not only augment the income of the hog raisers but will also repopulate rapidly the present scarce livestock in the city and would produce more pork for the consuming public," he said. The project materialized after the city government allocated PHP1.2 million for the purchase of at least 200 hybrid piglets that were priced at PHP13,000 each in the commercial market, Estipona said. "But the city government through my office only bought these imported piglets at a discounted price of at least PHP6,000 each," he added. Estipona said the piglets would be distributed to LLPRAC members in the 70 barangays of this city. After seven months, imported semen would be injected into the full-grown breeder hogs by the Univet Nutrition and Animal Healthcare Company (UNAHCO), the city's partner private group, he noted. Mina said, "the UNAHCO will bring here imported semen to be used for injection or insemination process to make sure the bloodline of the piglets is all imported hybrid". He noted that during the production period, the recipient hog raisers would also give two female piglets to the CVO, which, in turn, would also be distributed to other hog raisers as part of the tripartite agreement and in order to make the program sustainable. Mina said the hog raisers will buy their feeds from the LLPRAC store to avail of discount, and later on sell their meat to the cooperative. Legazpi City is known for its unique or pioneering programs in agriculture through its CVO. (PNA) }