BACOLOD City – In a bid to beef up measures against the African swine fever (ASF), a slaughterhouse in Barangay Handumanan has put up quarantine system.
Glorydee Cometa, AVM Bernardo Slaughterhouse plant manager, said they have enforced strict monitoring on hogs brought in the abattoir.
Cometa added that it is a regular procedure for hogs and large animals intended for slaughter pass through the City Veterinary Office for an “ante-mortem” inspection.
She also said that animals or any
person enters the holding pen must pass through a foot-bath area filled with
disinfectant to ensure that people do not enter with contaminated material on
their shoes.
“This biosecurity protocol ensures that the slaughtered hogs and large animals
have no infection and safe to eat,” said Cometa.
She also said that as of now, there was no reported swine fever case in the
slaughterhouse.
Goldwyn Nifras, the city’s agriculture head, also disclosed that there are no swine fever cases in this city and in Negros Occidental.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia last week
issued Executive Order No. 29 banning live pigs, hog carcasses, pork, pork
products, and pork by-products from Luzon and certain countries from entering
the city for a period of 90 days.
Earlier, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson announced that he considers extending the
90-day pork ban in Negros Occidental.
This move, according to Lacson, will
protect the province’s P6-billion swine industry.
Negros Occidental, the country’s number one backyard swine producer, has
prohibited since Sept. 11 the entry of pork from Luzon, which has confirmed
cases of ASF.
The ban covers live pigs, pork, pork products, and by-products, whether fresh, processed or canned, which can carry the ASF virus./PN
