A Joint African Swine Fever Task Force to prevent the entry into Bacolod City and Negros Occidental of live pigs, boar semen, pork and pork products from places affected with ASF has been created.
The task force was created by virtue of Joint Executive Order No. 1, Series of 2022, issued by Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on October 14, which is a first between the city and province, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Monday, October 17.
Negros Occidental, which is ASF-free, has a P6 billion swine industry that must be protected, Diaz said.
To protect the swine industry of Negros Occidental and Bacolod, there is an urgent need for a joint task force to harmonize policies to prevent ASF, the EO said.
ASF is a highly contagious disease of swine with up to 100 percent fatality rate, there being no known treatment and vaccine available, the EO said.
The disease is transmitted through direct contact with infected animals, fomites and ingestion of ASF-contaminated feeds and food wastes.
The Department of Agriculture confirmed the first ASF outbreak in the Philippines in July 2019, and as of July 2022, 53 provinces, 704 cities and municipalities, and 3,832 barangays have been hit, the EO added.
On October 1, the Provincial Veterinary Office of Iloilo reported its first suspected ASF case in Oton, lloilo, it said.
The joint task force will be co-chaired by Lacson and Benitez.
It will implement the following preventive measures in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City:
- Conduct rigid and stringent screening and inspection of incoming shipments of live animals and pork products;
*Hold checkpoints to intercept and control the movement of live animals, pork, pork products and other related items entering Negros Occidental and Bacolod;
- Confiscate and condemn the undocumented shipment of live animals and animal products;
- Conduct mandatory and regular disinfection of transport carriers upon arrival at ports of entry and ensure proper disposal of food wastes from sea vessels;
*Report any cases of unusual mortalities among pigs within the province and city to ensure prompt and immediate response;
- Coordinate with the activities and operation of the local task forces in the towns and cities of Negros Occidental to ensure a provincewide coordinated response; and
*Harmonize ASF prevention policies between the province and city for an efficient implementation of border control to prevent the entry of infected live pigs or any pork products.
The Bacolod ASF team joined a briefing at the Provincial Veterinary Office on Monday on the monitoring of the points of entry of pigs and other pork products, OIC-Provincial Veterinarian, Dr. Placeda Lemana, said.
They will jointly monitor the entry of pigs and its products at the Banago and BREDCO ports, and Barangay Sum-ag in Bacolod City, she said.
The ASF team seized P20,000 worth of pork products from Iloilo at the BREDCO Port during the weekend, which were returned to the shippers, she added.
Negros Occidental has adequate supply of pork and prices remain stable, Lamena said.*