Negros Occidental bans entry of pigs, pork products from areas with ASF

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

BACOLOD CITY – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has issued an executive order that bans the entry into Negros Occidental all pigs, boar semen and pork products from areas with reported cases of African swine fever (ASF).

The order is meant to protect and enable the hog industry in the province to recover.

The directive was released on Monday, February 26.

It prohibits the identified items from Bacolod city, Negros Oriental, Luzon, Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Panay Island, Guimaras Island, Cebu province, Camotes Island and Bantayan Island.

The entry of the same commodities is also banned if they come from countries affected by ASF, as declared by Department of Agriculture (DA).

Exempted from the order are processed pork products that are fully cooked.

Samples are hams, sausages, hotdogs, canned goods, pork chicharon and pork-based seasonings.

The exempted items must be sourced from meat establishments with Certificates of Compliance to the ASF Public-Private Audit.

According to National Meat Inspection Service, ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs, warthogs and boars.

It causes pigs to have high fever and lose their appetite, and results in hemorrhages in skin and internal organs.

Pigs die in a span of two to 10 days upon affliction.

There is no known vaccine against ASF yet.

Health officials reiterated ASF does not pose any threats to humans and that other pork products from infected areas are safe to eat.