ILOILO City – The Office of the Provincial Veterinarian in Iloilo is now holding series of site meetings with municipal agriculturists and local chief executives of coastal municipalities to generate their support in strengthening measures against the African swine fever (ASF) following the confirmation of cases from Masbate.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, provincial veterinarian Dr. Daryl Tabuada said they visited the towns of Estancia and Carles on Monday and urged them to strengthen their barangay level monitoring for swine, pork, and pork products.
Massive information and education campaigns using mounted tarpaulins will inform locals that it is prohibited to transport pork products from Masbate.
All swine products coming from island barangays are also required to secure a certification from their barangay.
“(This is) for us to monitor that hogs brought here really come from the island barangays of Estancia, Carles, and other island barangays,” he said.
Tabuada said the mayor of Carles will also meet with the officials of the town’s island barangays and other coastal barangays about Executive Order No. 048 issued on Feb. 13 by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. that temporarily banned the entry of swine, swine semen, pork, pork products, and by-products to Iloilo province from Eastern Visayas.
The order also mandates the close monitoring of the province’s coastal towns to include Ajuy, Anilao, Balasan, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Barotac Viejo, Batad, Carles, Concepcion, Dumangas, Estancia, and San Dionisio, especially their island barangays.
Tabuada said failure to prevent the entry of ASF into the province would impact Iloilo’s multi-billion hog industry.
“If you can see in the zoning of the Department Agriculture, only Region VI and Region VII are in the green zone. We are the only ones sending hogs to Luzon that are free from ASF,” he said.
The province is also making sure the industry is protected because it provides an opportunity for backyard raisers to sell their hogs at a higher price.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), he said the province has close to half a million hogs inventory as of January this year.
Tabuada added that 83 percent of them are raised in backyards and only 17 percent are grown by commercial raisers.
Meanwhile, in the same EO, the provincial government also ordered that all livestock transport carriers coming in and going out of Livestock “Oksyon” Market and Livestock Auction Market as well as holding facilities shall undergo thorough disinfection and must carry updated disinfection clearance signed by the livestock technician or any authorized personnel.(PNA)
