CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan–The provincial government here has banned the entry of live pigs, pork products and by-products from areas affected by African swine fever (ASF) into the province.
Governor Daniel R. Fernando issued an executive order (EO) on Wednesday even though the province had zero ASF cases since the start of the year.
Fernando said the move is to ensure that the effort of the province to repopulate the number of swine will not be affected.
“Since mayroon pong cases ng ASF sa ibang lalawigan, lalo na sa gawing Visayas at dumadami ang hog traders na nagpapasok ng baboy sa ating lalawigan, kailangan natin itong i-regulate upang masiguro natin na hindi tayo mapapasukan ng mga ASF positive na baboy (Since there are still cases of ASF in other provinces, particularly in the Visayas and there is an increasing number of hog traders entering pigs in our province, we need to regulate this to ensure that no ASF-positive pigs will enter),” the governor said in a statement.
Under the EO, the province will implement a total ban on live hogs, carcasses, cooked, and processed meats coming from areas affected by ASF declared by the National Task Force for Prevention of ASF and other government agencies.
Shipments coming from pink to green zones or those from the buffer, protected, or free zones must first request a letter of acceptance from the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) accompanied by an ASF negative test result not older than two weeks from the time of shipment before being allowed to enter the province.
Likewise, the PVO is continuously conducting surveillance on backyard raisers from different cities and municipalities while commercial farms are being tested and results are submitted to the PVO.
The PVO also conducted a biosecurity seminar for farmers from all municipalities and distributed disinfectants s to help them avoid ASF. (PNA)
