BACOLOD City – The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) of Negros Occidental plans to initiate a hog repopulation program next year.
According to PVO head Dr. Placeda Lemana, no hog deaths have been recorded in the province for several weeks now.
Earlier in the year, Negros Occidental’s hog industry, valued at approximately P6 billion, suffered setbacks due to hog cholera and African swine fever (ASF).
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson recently signed and distributed a memorandum to all local government units (LGUs) detailing the guidelines for the hog sentinelling program – a science-based method designed to detect the presence of the ASF virus in specific areas.
Lemana believes that this memorandum represents a pivotal move towards rejuvenating the local hog industry. Before the introduction of the sentinelling program, the PVO highlighted that hog raisers had been diligently cleaning and disinfecting their farms.
Soon, these raisers will receive authorization to introduce a vaccinated sentinel pig to their facilities. Should the sentinel pig remain healthy and survive a span of 40 days, raisers will be greenlighted to commence with hog repopulation.
The PVO intends to first roll out the program in parts of the fourth district. Notably, this district was the initial region to report hog deaths and subsequently documented the highest mortality count.
Lemana mentioned that the sentinelling program can be employed in areas or barangays that have experienced zero hog deaths for roughly 40 days.
Since April, data from the Provincial Animal Biosecurity Incident Management Team revealed that nearly 18,000 pigs perished across at least 20 LGUs, leading to an estimated financial loss nearing P200 million./PN
