By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said yesterday morning they have not recorded new hog deaths in 11 consecutive days.

Latest PVO data showed the province logged no swine deaths from August 11 to 21.

PVO officer-in-charge Dr. Placeda Lemana said the accumulated hog mortalities remained at 17,801, or 9.83 percent of the province’s total hog population.

Damage caused by hog mortalities is at P199,577,900.

Lemana said the zero hog deaths is a positive development and proves that their disinfection and decontamination measures for affected hog farms are effective.

They can immediately cordon off the area to prevent the disease from spreading.

The provincial government’s decision to establish its own veterinary laboratory will also contribute to their immediate response as soon as they received confirmation on what made the hogs sick.

Lemana said, even though there are no hog mortalities recorded, it is still too early to say if they could begin the “sentineling program,” or repopulating hogs.

The PVO is still gathering samples from the hog farms to determine if they are already free from hog diseases, such as hog cholera and African swine fever.

Lemana said they have already begun collecting hog blood samples in the 4th district, the most badly hit area by hog deaths in the province.

Samples will also be gathered from the 3rd, 5th and 6th districts.

She said if samples tested negative, that would be the only time they would recommend the sentineling program.

Earlier, the PVO said they are already eyeing a high demand for pork in the coming months, particularly during the holidays.

Lemana asked local hog raisers to temporarily halt supplying pork to traders outside the province to prepare for the expected high demand, and to prevent any sudden price increases.

Ric Lauron, president of the Alliance of Hog Raisers Association-Negros Occidental, said local hog raisers slowly felt the decline in hog mortalities./DGB, WDJ