ILOILO City – Local government units (LGUs) in Region 6 are urged to remain vigilant about the entry of processed meat products that could be carriers of African swine fever (ASF).
Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6 executive director Engr. Jose Albert Barrogo said there is still a need to protect the provinces of Antique and Negros Occidental, which remain free from the hog disease.
“Even if we have ASF, we still have to be vigilant, especially against the processed foods that enter our region, which are very hard to control. We are fervently requesting the participation of LGUs to be on top of implementing our biosecurity protocols,” he said.
According to Barrogo, processed foods shipped to the region should have documents proving they came from ASF-free areas.
While big companies are compliant with protocols, close attention has to be directed to unlabeled processed foods.
In an advisory Barrogo released on Monday, he said they received reports about the “tremendous increase in the volume of incoming processed meat products from nearby regions and provinces.”
“The ASF virus can thrive in processed and frozen meat for a very long time and can still cause infection when taken by any animal in the swine species,” read part of the advisory.
Meanwhile, the DA-6 executive director also confirmed that a small barangay in the municipality of Tangalan in Aklan province submitted a specimen to the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RADDL) for ASF testing and is waiting for the result.
Aklan’s first ASF case was recorded in a mountainous barangay of Balete town.
“What is good with Aklan and Roxas is that, just like Iloilo, they kept on improving in their management of the ASF,” Barrogo said, adding that Aklan has learned a lot from Iloilo on how to prevent the massive spread of the disease.
The regional executive director also met with officials of the Negros Occidental provincial government, where they talked about the reported deaths of several hogs in the area.
He said the department has long been asking the province to submit its specimen samples to the RADDL for verification.
“I sent a letter to the governor to send us specimens for a confirmatory test,” he added. (PNA)/PN
