Dr. Flora Bigot, head of the South Cotabato Provincial Veterinary Office. (PNA Photo by Roel Osano)
KORONADAL CITY -- South Cotabato's veterinary authorities appealed Thursday to commercial hog operators to tighten their biosecurity efforts to prevent the entry of the deadly African swine fever (ASF) in the province.
Dr. Flora Bigot, head of the Provincial Veterinarian Office, asked piggery owners to regularly disinfect, clean, and limit the entry of people in their farms.
Bigot said the ASF, which has affected a number of countries in Asia and Europe, is a threat to the more than 42,000 swine population in the province.
“We are lucky because the Philippines is surrounded by waters, the reason why we are still spared of the ASF, but we cannot be complacent about it,” Bigot said.
As a precautionary measure, she said transported pigs must be accompanied with veterinary health certificates or transport permits.
The provincial government had set up inspection and quarantine posts in the province's entry and exit points for meat products and live animals to prevent the entry of diseases, especially the ASF.
For pork meat products, Bigot advised consumers to always look for the inspection certificates to ensure that what they are buying is safe.
She said they should immediately report to concerned agencies if they find products from ASF-affected countries that were covered by the recall order issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“If you can see these products, especially Maling, still displayed in grocery stores please report it to us so that we can coordinate with FDA,” she added. (PNA)
