Bacolod City – Hog industry losses in Negros Occidental due to various swine diseases, has already reached P145.6 million, with swine mortalities further increasing to 12,934 as of June 15, representing nine percent of the total population, according to reports of the Provincial Veterinary Office.
Pig mortalities were reported in 135 barangays of 17 local government units in Negros Occidental, affecting 2,497 hog raisers.
Aside from detection of African Swine Fever (ASF) cases in cities of Bacolod, Silay, Victorias, and Pulupandan that led to the culling of hogs within a 500-meter radius ground zero, hog cholera was also blamed on the deaths of swine.
The provincial government of Negros Occidental is extending P10 million financial aid to the affected hog farmers, who are currently undergoing the process of identification.
However, those who improperly disposed their dead hogs into the rivers and other waterways will not receive any assistance, stressed Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday.
Lacson noted that the throwing of hog carcasses into waterways further aggravated the situation. Such incidents were reported in San Enrique, Bago City and highly urbanized Bacolod City. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)
