African swine fever in Bacolod upsetting Negros Occidental pig exports
The Negros Occidental government has doubled its efforts to monitor pig farms in the province as farmers’ losses from hog diseases continue to mount. FILE PHOTO
BACOLOD CITY — The detection of African swine fever (ASF) in Bacolod City hogs has affected the shipment of pigs from Negros Occidental to other parts of the country.
“The effect of the Bacolod announcement has been negative,” Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Tuesday, May 30.
“There are reports that some people are lobbying against the loading of pigs from Negros Occidental on vessels for shipment to other areas. (But let me remind them that) there has been no official laboratory findings of the presence of ASF in Negros Occidental, so far,” he added.
The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) reported on Tuesday that 455 more pigs died from illnesses, bringing the total number of fatalities in Negros Occidental to 7,229. The losses from these deaths amounted to P93,180,675.
The deaths represent 6.66 percent of Negros Occidental’s hog population.
Article continues after this advertisementSan Enrique has the highest number of pig deaths at 2,253 or 83.69 percent of its hog population, followed by Valladolid with 1,439 deaths, and Bago City with 1,178, the PVO reported.
Article continues after this advertisementWhile ASF is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease, it could not be transmitted to humans, local officials said.
Diaz said the provincial government was doing everything to help hog farmers, because not all areas in Negros Occidental had been hit by swine cholera and deaths.
The pig deaths, the PVO said, have affected 1,568 hog raisers in Negros Occidental.
“Pig testing is being conducted so those that are healthy can be issued veterinary certificates,” Diaz said.
The provincial government’s Incident Management Team is continuing to conduct surveillance, testing, containment, and disposal of pigs that die from different hog illnesses.
“They are continuing to help hog farmers to segregate the healthy pigs from those that are not so they can still sell them,” he said.
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