BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental governor Eugenio Jose Lacson issued two memorandums yesterday morning banning pigs, pork and pork by-products from Panay and Guimaras islands.
He issued the orders after the first case of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the region was detected in Oton, Iloilo.
Lacson pointed out ASF poses a great threat to Negros Occidental, a major producer – and gateway – of live pigs being supplied to Luzon, Central and Eastern Visayas.
In line with Provincial Ordinance No. 2012-024, otherwise known as the “ASF Prevention Ordinance of Negros Occidental”, Lacson ordered the Provincial Veterinary Office’s (PVO) Provincial ASF Task Force to prohibit the entry of pigs, pork and pork by-products from the provinces of Iloilo, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Guimaras.
The governor also ordered the Provincial ASF Task Force to conduct rigid screening of incoming shipments of live animals and pork products.
The taskforce is also ordered to conduct checkpoints to intercept and control the movement of live animals, pork and pork by-products entering the province and confiscate any undocumented shipments.
All transport carriers, upon arrival at the province’s seaports, must undergo mandatory and regular disinfection.
Hog raisers in Negros Occidental are also ordered to report any unusual mortalities among their stock to ensure prompt and immediate response.
Negros Occidental is one of the top backyard hog producers in the country with an industry pegged at more than P6 billion.
For three years, Negros Occidental has prohibited the entry of live pigs and pork by-products from Luzon, Mindanao and parts of the Visayas to protect the local hog industry./PN
