ASF WATCH. Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson (left) and Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena (2nd from left), chair and co-chair of the Negros Occidental Provincial African swine fever (ASF) task force, respectively, during the inspection at the Bredco port in Bacolod City on Wednesday afternoon. Negros Occidental has banned the entry of all pork and pork products from Luzon which has confirmed cases of ASF. (Photo courtesy of PIO Negros Occidental)
BACOLOD CITY -- Negros Occidental, the number one backyard swine producer in the Philippines, has banned for 90 days the entry of all pork and pork products from Luzon, which has confirmed cases of the African swine fever (ASF).
Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said on Thursday the ban took effect immediately after Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson approved Resolution No. 19-05, which was passed by the Provincial ASF Task Force on Wednesday. Lacson chairs the task force while Decena sits as the vice-chairperson.
On Tuesday, the body initially recommended the temporary ban as stated in Resolution No. 19-04, covering pork and pork products originating from, processed, or manufactured in Luzon.
“The governor will issue a memorandum addressed to me and to all municipal and city mayors for the implementation of the task force Resolution No. 5,” Decena said.
On Monday, the Department of Agriculture officially confirmed that ASF was the cause of the swine deaths in Rizal and Bulacan last month.
The following day, Lacson appealed to travelers not to bring pork to Negros Occidental in the wake of the confirmed cases of ASF in Luzon.
In enforcing the prohibition, the task force underscored the “pressing need to protect the swine population of the province from being infected with the dreaded ASF disease in particular, and the PHP6-billion provincial swine industry in general.”
“Pork and pork products from these provinces, whether fresh, processed or canned may carry directly ASF viruses, which would introduce the disease into Negros Occidental,” the task force said.
Figures from the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) showed that Negros Occidental’s current annual swine production for both backyard and commercial is 510,000 heads.
In 2018, the province’s total pork consumption was pegged at 37,000 metric tons (MT). With an annual production of 54,000 MTs, Negros Occidental has pork surplus of about 16,000 MTs.
Lacson, in Executive Order 2019-23, directed the ASF task force to carry out the proper implementation of the ASF prevention and control measures, enhance biosecurity practices in all ports of entry and swine production facilities, and coordinate and cooperate with the appropriate national government agencies in case of a suspected outbreak. (PNA)
