BACOLOD CITY – The ban on the entry of hogs and pork into Negros Occidental, from areas affected by African Swine Fever (ASF) remains in effect while hog repopulation in the province is ongoing, Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Placeda Lemana disclosed recently.
Aside from highly urbanized Bacolod City, other areas covered by the entry ban are Negros Oriental, the islands of Panay, Guimaras, Bantayan, and Camotes, Cebu province, Region 8, Mindanao, Luzon, and other countries affected with ASF, as may be declared by the DA.
Exempted from the ban are processed pork products that are fully cooked such as ham, sausages, hotdogs, canned goods, pork chicharon, pork-based seasonings, and the like, provided they are sourced from meat establishments with Certificate of Compliance from the ASF Public-Private Audit.
“We want the province to fully recover from ASF,” stressed Lemana, who assisted Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Board Members Manuel Frederick Ko and Andrew Montelibano, in the distribution of 10 motorcycles to PVO personnel, hogs and cattle raisers to recipients that included former rebels being helped by the 94th Infantry Battalion, amounting to P2.3 million, at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City.
Lemana said hog raisers continue to ship pigs outside the province, with Panay Island as among their markets.
In December last year, she recalled that about 3,000 hogs were sold outside of Negros Occidental, with some being used as breeders. (Gilbert Bayoran via tvds)