The provincial government is buying an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) machine to help the multi-billion peso gamefowl industry of Negros Occidental.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) now requires that 10 percent of every shipment of gamefowls from the province to other areas in the country must undergo tests for avian influenza, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Wednesday, May 25.
Since no machine is available in the province gamefowl breeders have to wait for test results from Manila, which has been delaying shipments, he said.
The ELISA, which cost P900,000, is worth investing in to help the province’s multi-billion peso industry, he said.
The Negros Occidental provincial government laboratory for gamefowl tests is located at the Panaad Park in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod.
Negros Occidental is avian influenza free, but the tests are required by the DA, Diaz said.
He hopes the DA reconsiders its rule since there is no outbreak of avian influenza in the province, to prevent shipment delays, Diaz said.*