Definition of Terms

The swine industry uses many unique terms. Anyone involved in the swine industry should know and understand these terms.

Farrow - To give birth

Gilt - A young female pig that has not yet farrowed

Barrow - A castrated male pig

Boar - A male pig used for breeding

Sow - A mature female hog

Feeder pig - A gilt or barrow between weaning and finishing

Market hog - A gilt or barrow weighing between 109 and 122 kilograms and ready for processing.

Instructions: Each student can answer these questions individually.

1. Students can put their answers using Microsoft word application or in handwritten form.

2. The file name of your output is always start with your Lastname_Firstname_Activity1.1.docx

3. Put your output in the Activity 1.1 folder.

4. Pass your output in the google drive link below.

QUESTIONS:

• Do you have swine or pig(s) in your house? If yes, are you interested in raising this kind of animal? Why?

• If you will be given a chance to raise an animal, what would it be? And why?

The modern pig is of the order Artiodactyla, an even-toed ungulate mammal, and belongs to the family Suidae, of non-ruminant, even-toed, hoofed mammals. The genus of the swine is Sus, which includes the domestic pigs and the European wild boar. The roots of the modern pig date back many millions of years, with the current genus and species evolving from a class of animals named the Hyotheriun about 10 million years ago (Hedgepath, 1978). The ancestors of most modern breeds of swine are the European wild boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) (Epstein, 1971). In addition to the modern breeds of swine, there are many indigenous species of swine throughout the world including: Sus salvanius (Pygmy Hog) Sus verrucosus (Javan Warty Pig), Sus barbatus (Bearded Pig), Sus celebensis (Sulawesi Warty Pig), Sus philippensis (Philippine Warty Pig) and Sus cebifrons (The Visayan Warty Pig) (Ruvinsky and Rothschild, 1998).

Historical data indicate the pig was domesticated by 4900 B.C. in China, and pigs were raised in Europe as early as 1500 B.C. Since domestication, the pig has played a vital role throughout the world as a source of food for survival, but it has also played a role in cultural, religious, and social aspects of humans. Pigs were first introduced into North America by Hernado de Soto in 1539, with further introductions into Mexico by Hernando Cortez in 1600.

The modern pig has played and continues to play a major role in providing food for human consumption due in part to its tremendous versatility and adaptability to a wide range of environmental conditions. Although the pig is a monogastric animal (nonruminant), having a simple, single compartment stomach, part of the pig’s ability to adapt is that pigs are omnivores, which have the capability to digest both forage-based and cereal grain-based feedstuffs. This ability to adapt plays a significant role in how pigs are raised and grown in various countries of the world.

According to Gregg Yan in his online article, entitles the Pig Site, the Philippines is the world’s tenth-largest consumer, eighth-top producer and seventh-largest importer of pork. Pinoy’s love to pig-out, gobbling up about 35 kilograms of meat yearly, including an average of 15 kilograms of pork.

It’s no surprise that the local swine industry is one of its most lucrative trades, worth PHP200 billion or USD5 billion and contributing 18.28 percent to the country’s agricultural output in 2015, ranking second only to rice and staying way ahead of poultry.

With a capital city hosting 13 million and a national population of 101 million excitable, food-loving citizens, the Philippines is hog-heaven because pork is an interim meat between always-pricey beef and occasionally-cheap chicken. The industry is growing steadily as the country’s population expands at an average rate of 1.6 percent yearly, meaning there are nearly 5000 new mouths to feed every day.

As of January 2019, the Philippines recorded 12.71 million head of pigs, 0.83 percent higher than the 12.60 million listed in 2018. The majority – about 63 percent – are farmed by small-scale operators in backyard piggeries with less than 100 hogs. This provides tens of thousands of lower and middle-class Pinoy good business and livelihood opportunities, as the piglets can be tended by children or unemployed family members to grow upwards of 100 kilograms in just six months.

Per capita pork consumption is projected to rise slowly but steadily from around 15 kilograms today to 16.7 kilograms by the year 2025

© Statista, 2019

Commercial ventures make up about 37 percent of production and include sprawling state-of-the-art operations like Sunjin, Family Farms and Pig City. By 2016, the country was producing 1.2 million tons of pork yearly.

Because of consistently rising demand however, the Philippines has also become a major pork importer, shipping in 312,499 metric tons of pork from Europe and other regions in 2018, a 13.85 percent jump from 2017, as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

To reduce importation, close the gap and become self-sufficient, local production efficiency should be improved. The industry is ripe for research and development in better feeds, breeding and rearing techniques, plus automation.

Digitized and AI-assisted operations can greatly improve yields and reduce losses from disease, while ethical and sustainable waste management will help minimize environmental impacts (and complaints about smelly environs). Local sow productivity is also set to improve, with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) working on ways to boost sow productivity by at least four piglets yearly – a 30 percent production boost without increasing sow numbers.

Aside from intensive-rearing of popular breeds such as the Large White, Landrace, Duroc and Piétrain, more farmers are trying out pastured and organic rearing of native pigs, which are healthier and lower in cholesterol than hogs raised in piggeries.

Some farms are also dabbling with newer breeds and free-range techniques, such as Sitio Anting, recently featured by The Pig Site.

Good export opportunities can be maximized if the country offers unique products, such as native lechon or roasted native Philippine pig. However, the industry faces some hefty challenges.

Undoubtedly the biggest setback for the Philippine swine industry is the recent global outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), which is suspected to have been brought into the country via contaminated food scraps as early as July 2019.

ASF is a deadly and highly-contagious virus which affects both farmed and wild pigs. It can be spread through live or dead hogs, plus anything which has come in contact with tainted meat – knives, wastewater and even undisinfected worker’s hands.

Once an animal contracts ASF, it has little chance of surviving coupled with a huge chance of spreading the virus to other animals. Affected animals are thus usually destroyed to prevent undue suffering and to contain the spread of disease. To date, there is no approved ASF vaccine.

The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) and Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) are attempting to stamp out the virus through improved biosecurity, quarantine, area-wide bans and preventive culling.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates that as many as 136,000 pigs have been affected in the Philippines. Around 70,000 have been destroyed and import bans have been implemented for pigs sourced from a dozen countries including Germany, China, Russia and Vietnam, where nearly six million pigs have been culled. Many Pinoy farms have sold off their entire herds at all-time low prices, driving the price of other meats up. Tens of thousands of workers employed by the meat processing and packing industries have lost their jobs.

The Philippine government has been compensating farmers who have willingly culled their pigs by providing PHP5000 or USD100 per head, compared to the hogs’ market value of at least PHP10,000 or USD200.

As is clearly evident, ASF’s industry impacts over the past five months is significant – the industry is losing around PHP1 billion or USD20 million every month.

In order to stay competitive, hog raisers need to be extra-vigilant in policing and protecting their herds – not just against ASF, but against other diseases like Classical swine fever (hog cholera), Pseudorabies and Circovirus. Research on environmental changes such as climate change should also be prioritized to ensure that these plucky porkers bounce back and continue to hog the top livestock spot for the Philippines.

• https://www.farms.com/swine/swine-farming.aspx

• https://www.thepigsite.com/articles/pork-remains-the-favourite-in-the-philippines

• https://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C10/E5-24-03-04.pdf

• https://www.pig333.com/3tres3_common/art/pig333/854/what_the_expert_say_854_commercial_farm_35473.jpg

• https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/64044048

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_hog#/media/File:Pygmy_hog_in_Assam_breeding_centre_AJT_Johnsingh.JPG

• https://www.cikanangawildlifecenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Adult-dominant-male-of-Javan-Warty-Pig-Sus-verrucosus-CCBC-%C2%A9-Florian-Richter.jpg

• https://previews.123rf.com/images/wrangel/wrangel1612/wrangel161200022/67263553-bornean-bearded-pig-sus-barbatus-also-known-as-the-bearded-pig-.jpg

• https://sites.google.com/site/wildpigspecialistgroup/home/Sus-celebensis

• http://michaelnoonanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Artiodactyla-Suidae-Sus-cebifrons-Visayan-Warty-Pig-1V5Z4045.jpg

• https://media.philstar.com/photos/2020/04/12/pork_2020-04-12_22-59-14.jpg

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMi3SjuXP9E

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=601r5OcermU

Instruction:

1. The class will be divided into 4 groups. Each group will answer the questions below.

2. The group will choose a representative to report their answers to the class via synchronous or asynchronous classes.

3. You can create your output via powerpoint presentation, canva, video presentation and etc.

4. If we will be having a asynchronous class, pass your output in the Google drive link

5. The file name of your output is always start with your Lastname_Firstname_Activity1.2.docx

6. Put your output in the Activity 1.2 folder.

Questions:

1. Choose two different indigenous pigs that we have discussed and compare their characteristics.

2. Discuss briefly what you understand about the status of swine industry in the Philippines based from the discussion.

3. What is the difference between a boar, barrow and gilt?

4. Based from our discussion, what are the problems and challenges that swine industry are facing today?