ILOILO City – Western Visayas remains safe from the African swine fever (ASF) despite the detection of this highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease on domestic and wild pigs in Eastern Visayas.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 6, however, won’t leave anything to chance. It ordered its Bureau of Animal Industry-Veterinary Quarantine Service headed by Dr. John Hilario Jr. to coordinate with local government units (LGUs) and heighten security and quarantine measures to prevent the entry of ASF.
On Jan. 15, the first case of ASF in the Visayas was confirmed in the Leyte town of Abuyog.
“We are coordinating not only with the LGUs but as well sa mga counterpart agencies para buligan ang pag-strengthen sang quarantine measures sa mga borders, airports and ports,” Hilario told Panay News.
Hilario said LGUs were being encouraged to put up disinfection facilities in their entry and exit points.
Swine raisers in Region 6 are currently supplying hogs and other pork products to other regions.
Based on the latest data of DA-6, the region has a P20-billion swine industry – with a big percentage of these backyard hog raisers.
Negros Occidental remains the region’s top backyard hog producer.
On Monday, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson banned live pigs, pork products, and other pork-derived food items from Eastern Visayas.
“ASF poses a great threat to the province, being one of the major producers and gateway of live pigs supplied to Luzon, Central, and Eastern Visayas,” Lacson said.
The ban covers the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar.
The governor cited Ordinance 2019-024 or the “ASF Prevention Ordinance of Negros Occidental” which provides that other areas may be covered by the ban once affected by the ASF. (With PNA/PN)
