CEBU CITY – The provincial government of Cebu has banned the entry of live hogs, sows or adult female pigs, piglets, boar semen, pork, and pork products from Negros Island after authorities have detected the African swine fever (ASF) virus in Carcar City.
Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy, provincial veterinarian, has
confirmed this and said Governor Gwendolyn Garcia issued Executive Order (EO) 9
implementing a temporary ban on pigs from neighboring provinces to protect Cebu’s
P11-billion hog industry, the largest in Central Visayas.
Vincoy said the order became effective upon its
issuance and will last for a month or until April 5. She said
authorities detected the presence of the ASF virus - which is fatal to pigs -
in blood samples of hogs taken in Carcar City on March 1. “In our
investigation, the blood samples were found to have come from pigs that mingled
with other pigs from Negros while being kept in stockyards,” she said.
She said the provincial government also required
all local governments to conduct regular surveillance to detect the presence of
ASF and other viral infections in hog farms.
The local government of Carcar has sealed the
slaughterhouse where the virus was detected. Despite the presence of ASF in Carcar
City, the provincial veterinarian assured Cebuanos of enough pork supply in the
province.
Garcia also ordered biosecurity measures in
seaports and airports by establishing strict border control and veterinary
quarantine efforts, as well as cargo and passenger inspections in all ports of
entry within the province.
“All livestock transport passes issued for
livestock transport vehicles and refer vans from the Island of Negros are
hereby revoked and canceled until further notice,” she said in her order.
She also ordered the mayors, the Philippine
National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Cebu Port Authority, the
Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, as well as airline companies and
shipping lines to implement the executive order.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama also ordered the
adoption of Bantay ASF in 80 villages here to strictly prohibit the entry of
live hogs, pork, and pork products and by-products whether raw, processed or
cooked, and all other meat, chicken, fish, or any other food products that are
mixed with pork meat.
Dr. Jessica Maribujoc, head of the Cebu City
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries, said their team is conducting
an information drive in the villages. She said traders, producers, and
importers need to secure documents of their live hogs, pork, and pork products.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson
prevously vowed to sustain the fight against the ASF and Bird Flu in an effort
to protect the province’s multi-billion swine and poultry industry, and the
livelihood of Negrenses.
“We’re very serious (with bird flu) as serious as
we are with ASF. Anything that will threaten our livelihood, especially
livestock. Whether it’s pork or chicken, we will continue to protect it. You
must remember that losing this industry could have a very long-term effect on
the province that we cannot afford,” Lacson said.
This was Lacson’s assurance after veterinary
quarantine personnel disposed of some P1.4 million worth of undocumented eggs
that entered Bredco port in Negros last month. The seized shipment of 240,000
pieces or 8,000 trays of eggs arrived on a delivery truck en route to Iloilo.
(John Rey Saavedra and Nanette Guadalquiver)
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