In observance of the Holy Week, the Philippine News Agency’s online news service will be off on March 29, Good Friday, and March 30, Black Saturday. Normal operations will resume on March 31, Easter Sunday.

— The Editors

Iloilo’s agri office intensifies ASF info campaign

By Gail Momblan

December 5, 2019, 7:48 pm

<p><strong>ASF INFO CAMPAIGN.</strong> Farmers in Iloilo province's component city of Passi attend a lecture regarding the African swine fever (ASF) by the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO). The PVO has already visited 27 local government units in the province for its ASF information and education campaign. <em>(Photo courtesy of PVO)</em></p>

ASF INFO CAMPAIGN. Farmers in Iloilo province's component city of Passi attend a lecture regarding the African swine fever (ASF) by the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO). The PVO has already visited 27 local government units in the province for its ASF information and education campaign. (Photo courtesy of PVO)

ILOILO CITY -- Twenty-seven of the 43 local government units (LGUs) in Iloilo province have been visited by the Provincial Veterinary Office to conduct lectures regarding the African swine fever (ASF).

The veterinary office has partnered with the Iloilo-Bacolod Association of Veterinary Sales to disseminate the information on ASF to hog raisers, said Dr. Darel Tabuada, provincial veterinarian, in an interview Thursday.

“We have covered 27 farmers and gathered more or less 200 backyard farmers. For this month, we target to visit Concepcion town,” Tabuada said.

The PVO is also arranging the schedule of the visits to the remaining towns, assuring that most will be covered by January next year.

Among the content of the lecture is the ways to prevent the spread of the ASF and the executive order in the province, which bans the entry of pork and pork by-products to areas unaffected by the disease.

“We inform the participants that when they have relatives coming from Luzon and from the countries affected by ASF to refrain bringing pork and pork by-products as ‘pasalubong’ when they come here in the province,” he said.

Tabuada said municipal veterinarians are also urged to report immediately hogs that show symptoms of ASF.

Despite the ASF confirmation in the provinces of Rizal and Bulacan in Luzon, Tabuada said there were “no changes” noticed in the hog raising industry in the province.

“It is still the same because we intensify the information and education campaign to our farmers,” he said.
Tabuada also assured that the province remains free of the infection.

ASF is a highly contagious hemorrhagic disease of swine caused by a virus with no proven vaccine yet. (PNA)


Comments