Provincial Veterinarian Placeda Lemana on Wednesday, February 28, urged Negrenses not to patronize online sellers of pork products.
She said while pork products being sold online are cheaper than in the markets, it cannot be verified where they came from and if they underwent meat inspection.
It is dangerous for such pork products to be brought into Negros Occidental that is just recovering from African swine fever, as they could be contaminated and trigger a resurgence of ASF cases, Lemana said.
Last year about 18,000 pigs in Negros Occidental died from ASF and other diseases, she said.
The province is just recovering and hog farmers have started sentineling to determine if is safe to restock, she said.
In fact some areas in San Enrique and Valladolid that had high pig deaths last year have been determined to be safe from the virus and have started repopulating pigs, Lemana said.
Lemana also insisted that there is adequate pork supply in Negros Occidental.
She said last week pork sold at P270 to P280 a kilo in Don Salvador Benedicto town and at P380 to P390 in Bago City.
The Negros Occidental ban on the entry of pigs and pork from ASF infected areas, including Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, remains.*