• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office is not loosening restrictions to ensure that the province will remain free from African swine fever (ASF) even as the neighboring Cebu lifted its ban on the entry of hogs from Negros Island.
Dr. Ryan Janoya, chief of PVO Animal Health and Meat Inspection Services, said on Wednesday, July 16, the lifting of the Cebu ban will further benefit hog raisers in Negros Occidental as it opens more markets for hogs.
Many hog raisers in the province are now inquiring on the documents needed and guidelines for them to ship hogs to Cebu, he added.
With the lifting of the ban, hog raisers may now pass through Cebu port to send hogs to Samar and Leyte.
Janoya, however, said that shipment of hogs from ASF-infected areas is still not allowed to enter Negros Occidental.
“We are very careful in opening our defense. As the situation improves, maybe we can loosen our restrictions, but not for now,” he added.
Based on the report of the Bureau of Animal Industry, Negros Occidental remains ASF-free.
In 2023, ASF and hog cholera caused serious damage to the hog industry in Negros Occidental, resulting in the deaths of more than 18,000 hogs in the province, including Bacolod City. | GB
