The supply of pork in Negros Occidental is still sufficient, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said, amid the recurrence of African swine fever (ASF) and its reported spread in some provinces.
PVO head Dr. Placeda Lemana, in a radio interview yesterday, said more than 1,600 pork-related products were shipped from Negros Occidental to neighboring Panay Island in May of this year, which only shows that the supply is enough.
More than 4,200 pork products were shipped out last June and July.
Lemana said the PVO continues to strictly enforce border controls in several local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental to prevent the possible spread of ASF, after an outbreak was reported in Valencia town’s Barangay West Balabag in neighboring Negros Oriental earlier this month.
Border restrictions are strictly enforced in Kabankalan City and Hinoba-an town, where hog shipments from Negros Oriental were likely to enter the province.
Spot inspections of shipments are also being conducted in La Castellana’s Barangay Masulog, which borders Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City, to ensure that no pork products can enter Occidental.
Quarantine inspectors from PVO are already on alert to conduct surveillance on meat stalls in markets and supermarkets to double-check pork products.
Lemana said not all types of pork products from Negros Oriental, Cebu, Panay, Mindanao, and Luzon can enter the province.
Earlier, local hog raisers were advised to strictly adhere to biosecurity measures and cooperate with authorities to prevent the spread of ASF.
The PVO also emphasized the importance of early detection and swift response to protect the province’s hog industry and ensure food safety for consumers.
Lemana said local hog raisers have already started the sentinelling phase, following the ASF outbreak last year.
She added that some LGUs in the province have already completed hog sentinelling, while several of them are already in the restocking stage.
The recent ASF outbreak in Negros Oriental was considered a “re-emergence,” as the province-wide outbreak last year was prevented through hog culling.
The PVO is planning to restore Negros Occidental’s status as the leading supplier of backyard hogs in the country.
The province’s hog industry lost more than P200 million from the ASF outbreak last year, with more than 3,500 hog farmers affected./WDJ