• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Several local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental have intensified border control and biosecurity measures following the confirmation of African swine fever (ASF) cases in San Enrique town.
The mayors of Talisay City, La Castellana, Hinoba-an, and Moises Padilla have issued directives aimed at preventing the entry and spread of the highly contagious swine disease, emphasizing that their respective localities remain free from ASF cases.
Talisay City Mayor Rowena Lizares said stricter monitoring of animal movement has been implemented within the city.
“Talisay City is now going to be very strict about entry and exit, including the transfer of poultry and pigs,” she stressed.
Lizares said personnel of the Department of Agriculture have been deployed to Talisay to monitor border checkpoints as part of preventive efforts against the disease.
“No hog deaths have been reported in Talisay,” she noted, adding that the city is closely monitoring livestock conditions, particularly among small-scale farmers whose livelihoods could be severely affected by animal diseases.
La Castellana Mayor Anejo Nicor said the municipal government immediately convened barangay captains after the announcement of ASF presence in the province.
“We have no ASF cases in La Castellana,” he added.
Nicor issued an executive order directing the establishment of checkpoints along the municipality’s boundaries with Canlaon City, Isabela, Moises Padilla, and La Carlota City aimed at regulating the entry of live pigs and pork products and prevent unauthorized meat vendors from entering the town.
Despite the restrictions, the mayor clarified that hog raisers in La Castellana may still transport pigs out of the municipality since it remains ASF-free.
Hinoba-an Mayor Daph Reliquias issued an executive order regulating the entry, transport, distribution, storage, and sale of imported meat and meat products while strengthening border control measures.
He also created the Municipal Meat Monitoring and Enforcement Task Force.
Reliquias said reports of illegal trading, technical smuggling, and the distribution of imported meat products without the necessary permits, clearances, and inspection certificates pose significant risks to public health, food safety, biosecurity, and the local livestock industry.
In Moises Padilla, Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo issued a directive imposing a temporary ban on the entry of imported pork products, live pigs, and other uncooked pork items.
Effective June 22, Garcia-Yulo ordered the strict enforcement of border control and biosecurity measures to protect the municipality’s swine industry and the livelihood of local hog raisers.
Under the order, all imported and non-local fresh pork, frozen pork, and uncooked pork-based products are temporarily prohibited from entering the municipality.
The restriction also covers live pigs, including piglets and breeders, as well as swine genetic materials such as semen and embryos.
Garcia-Yulo said that Moises Padilla remains free of active ASF cases and that the preventive measure aims to stop the possible introduction of the disease through the movement of pigs and pork products from outside sources.
She also directed barangay officials to activate anti-ASF task forces and intensify monitoring of backyard and commercial hog farms.
Suspected ASF cases or unusual pig deaths must be reported to municipal agricultural authorities within 24 hours, the mayor said. | GPB
