• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) has not monitored any resurgence of African swine fever (ASF) cases in Negros Occidental since September 2023.
Dr. Placeda Lemana, provincial veterinarian, said local government units with ASF positive cases in previous years, except for Escalante City, have been declared already as under the pink category, which means there is no ASF cases in those areas.
Lemana said the documents are now being processed to include Escalante in the pink category.
The province, however, is still closing its borders to hogs from infected or red areas of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, but allows pork by-products if they have the Bureau of Animal Industry clearances.
In 2023, ASF and hog cholera caused serious damage to the hog industry in Negros Occidental, resulting in the death of more than 18,000 hogs in the province, including Bacolod City.
The PVO continues to conduct checkpoints in strategic areas to prevent hogs and pork from red areas, being transported to Negros Occidental. | GB
