BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – As part of efforts to prevent the entry of the African Swine Fever (ASF) into Negros Occidental, the provincial government and the city government of Bacolod released a joint executive order forming a joint ASF taskforce.
The joint executive order was signed by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez.
Both LGU heads pointed out that ASF has already caused serious economic losses in the production of hogs in other countries such as China, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine.
They also added that ASF is very difficult to eradicate once it gains a foothold in an area.
They cited Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain — countries which took between 10 to 35 years to eliminate the disease.
Lacson and Benitez will be co-chairpersons of the joint ASF taskforce.
Its role would be to conduct rigid and stringent screening and inspection of all incoming shipments of live animals, especially pork products.
They are also given the role of holding checkpoints to control the movement of hogs and pork products.
Any undocumented shipments must be confiscated, while all transport carriers arriving in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City must undergo mandatory disinfection.
Hog farmers were also again advised to immediately report any incidents of mortalities among pigs that could be considered “highly unusual.”
Earlier on Monday, the Provincial Veterinary Office’s (PVO) anti-ASF task force had either confiscated or “returned to sender” at least P20,000 worth of pork by-products.
Acting PVO head Dr. Placeda Lemana said their quarantine inspectors are on alert and are strictly doing inspections of all arriving goods through the province’s ports./PN
