CEBU CITY –– Hog raisers and consumers in Central Visayas need not worry about the African Swine Fever (ASF) in the country for now.
The top official of the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7) said they have not monitored any hogs in the region affected by ASF yet.
“So far, we do not have reported incidents of ASF here in Central Visayas,” DA-7 Director Salvador Diputado told the Inquirer.
Long before the results of blood samples of hogs in Rizal and Bulacan confirmed the presence of ASF, Diputado said the local governments of Cebu and other parts of Central Visayas have observed security protocols to ensure that the region would not be affected by the disease.
Proactive measures
“We’re happy that the LGUs have implemented proactive measures to prevent the entry of hogs from areas believed to be affected by ASF,” he said.
Diputado said all they wanted now was to prevent the spread of hog diseases in Central Visayas.
He advised the public not to panic after the DA confirmed that ASF was present in seven areas in Rizal and Bulacan.
Diputado, nonetheless, urged the people to be vigilant at all times.
Report
“There are some hog raisers who don’t want to report about sick pigs to the government. Let us help one another by informing authorities whenever our neighbors’ hogs get sick so we can check right away,” he said.
Last August 23, Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia issued Executive Order 14 calling for a ban on the entry of pork meat, pork products and live hog in all the ports in Cebu for 100 days.
In her statement on Monday, Garcia said the EO shall remain to be strictly enforced.
She also issued EO13 which created an inter-agency ASF Task Force that would monitor the entry of pork products from domestic and international destinations.
Order
EO 13 in Cebu will not allow even those traveling and bringing pork meat for personal consumption unless they can present documents from the National Meat Inspection Services or a Veterinary Health Certificate in the case of a live hog.
Garcia said the “ban” or regulated entry of pork aims to protect Cebu’s billion-peso pork industry.
Cebu pork raisers produced 99,898 metric tons of pork in 2018 which was valued at P10,982,180,000.
Cebu is the largest pork-producing province in Central Visayas and 4th in the country with Cebu lechon as a major delicacy.
Data from the provincial government show that Cebu residents yearly consume 61.6 million kilos of pork while tourists account for 1.8 million kilos, mostly from Cebu lechon./lzb