ILOILO CITY – Iloilo has banned pigs and pork from Luzon as a preventive measure against African Swine Fever.
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. said the temporary ban also covers processed pork products coming from countries that have positive ASF cases.
Defensor emphasized that only pork-based products with corresponding documents and regulatory permits issued by Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry are allowed entry to the province.
There is also stronger monitoring at the seaports in Dumangas and Estancia that welcome roll-on, roll-off vessels, he said, and that local government personnel are augmenting DA-BAI inspectors in enforcing quarantine regulations.
Defensor assured there is enough supply of pork meat in the province’s 42 towns and component city of Passi.
Citing data from the DA Western Visayas, Defensor said that Iloilo get its pork supply from Negros Occidental, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro City.
Defensor has created a task force to ensure Iloilo will maintain its ASF-free status.
Meanwhile, 21 pigs were reported to have died from ASF in Barangay Santor, Malolos City, Bulacan.
Alejandro Roque, a backyard hog raiser, disclosed yesterday that several of his pigs were afflicted by a mysterious disease suspected to be ASF in the past three days. Twenty-one of them have died, the latest of which was three last Wednesday with an average weight of 60 kilograms.
Roque said that all dead pigs have been buried.
He added that yesterday, 10 pigs have shown signs of ASF and personnel of the Department of Agriculture from Central Luzon have taken blood samples to determine whether or not they were afflicted with the ASF. (Tara Yap, Freddie Velez, and Erwin Beleo)
