• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Provincial Veterinary Office called on hog raisers in Negros Occidental on Wednesday (Aug. 7) not to lower their guards in the wake of fresh outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in some areas of Batangas.
Currently, the ban on the entry on pork supply from Luzon, Mindanao, Cebu, Panay and Negros Oriental to Negros Occidental remains in effect.
Dr. Placeda Lemana, provincial veterinarian, said that floods, which hit some areas of Batangas, helped the spread of ASF.
According to the Department of Agriculture, water is a primary vector of the virus.
Lemana reminded the hog raisers, who have already finished the sentineling and started the restocking of hogs, to ensure that their pigpens are not affected by floods.
Four local government units in Negros Occidental, including the cities of Silay and Victorias as well as the municipalities of Hinigaran and Pulupandan, have been declared as pink zones or ASF-free.
Lemana said that the cities of San Carlos and Kabankalan, along with La Castellana town, have been declared as ASF-free as well but they are still waiting for the certification from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry.
Hog fatalities due to ASF and other swine diseases reached 17,801 last year, representing 9.96 percent of the total hog population in Negros Occidental.
The hog industry had incurred losses worth P200 million.
Swine diseases have affected 3,536 hog raisers in 153 barangays in 20 towns and cities in the province. | GB
