By CESAR JOLITO III
The Negros Oriental provincial government has reactivated its African swine fever (ASF) task force and imposed a total ban on the entry of live pigs and pork products from ASF-affected and high-risk areas in a bid to protect the province’s swine industry.
Governor Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria signed Executive Order No. 46, directing the implementation of heightened biosecurity, border control and quarantine measures to prevent the entry and spread of ASF in the province.
The governor said the move is a proactive response to the continued threat posed by ASF, particularly following the resurgence of cases in neighboring Negros Occidental.
Under the executive order, all shipments and transport of live pigs intended for breeding, fattening, slaughter, trade, or any other purpose are prohibited from entering Negros Oriental if they originate from ASF-affected areas.
The ban also covers pork, processed pork products, pork by-products, frozen boar semen, and other regulated materials intended for sale, distribution, processing, storage, or personal transport.
Vehicles used to transport hogs and pork products from restricted or high-risk areas are likewise barred from entering the province unless specifically authorized by the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) under strict quarantine, disinfection and downtime protocols.
The reactivated provincial ASF task force has been tasked to oversee enforcement of the executive order, strengthen surveillance and border monitoring, and regularly update the province’s ASF prevention strategies.
The task force is also authorized to establish quarantine inspection points, border control stations and port inspection measures to inspect shipments, verify documents, and intercept unauthorized transport of prohibited animals and pork products.
Meanwhile, outbound transport of live hogs from Negros Oriental to Cebu may still be allowed, provided transporters comply with national veterinary quarantine regulations and additional safeguards imposed by the PVO.
Returning livestock transport vehicles will also be required to undergo mandatory washing, disinfection, quarantine observation, and certification.
Authorities said confiscated pork products and other prohibited materials will be properly documented before being destroyed or disposed of in accordance with national regulations.
Sagarbarria also directed all cities and municipalities to intensify ASF monitoring, strengthen barangay-level information campaigns, closely monitor backyard and commercial hog farms, and immediately report any unusual swine deaths or suspected ASF cases to the PVO.
Barangays have likewise been encouraged to organize or reactivate community-based ASF monitoring teams to enhance early detection and reporting.
The stricter measures come after ASF was recently detected in Negros Occidental, where the province recorded its first confirmed case in San Enrique last week.
The outbreak has reportedly resulted in an estimated P5 million in losses due to hog mortalities, prompting neighboring Negros Oriental to tighten its defenses against the highly contagious animal disease./CCJ, WDJ