- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Negrenses and others travelling and making good use of the long break are urged to avoid bringing pork and pork products so as to help prevent the spread of the African swine fever (ASF) with the resurgence noted in several areas, particularly in Luzon.
“Reminder to our countrymen who are on vacation this long weekend to avoid bringing pork and pork products so ASF won’t spread,” the National ASF Prevention and Control Program of the DA-Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI), the lead agency in the prevention and control of ASF, said in an advisory.
Aug. 23 is a special nonworking day to mark the Ninoy Aquino Day, while Aug. 26, Monday, is National Heroes Day.
The DA-BAI said Aug. 22 that Batangas is currently “ground zero in the latest resurgence of ASF”, a virus that has had devastating effects on the local swine industry since the first outbreak in 2019.
The DA has set up several livestock checkpoints to control the spread of the virus and will start a controlled trial of the ASF vaccine on growers to have another layer of defense against the disease, the BAI said in a statement, adding this initiative is part of the DA’s ongoing efforts to combat ASF and protect the livelihoods of farmers across the country.
The provincial government of Negros Occidental also has an ongoing prohibition on the entry of pigs, pork and byproducts from areas tagged as ASF red zone, including Bacolod City, Panay, Guimaras, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Luzon, and Mindanao provinces.
Its ASF Task Force has also intensified the monitoring and inspection in the seaports and coastlines of Negros Occidental, following the interception last week of undocumented hogs in Escalante City, also a red zone, and Calatrava town.
The movement of pigs, pork, and pork products, including fresh/frozen pork, and uncooked processed pork products, from the red zone is restricted, except for cooked and canned processed pork products, to prevent the spread of ASF./CGC
