Authorities keeping a close watch against the entry into Negros Occidental of hogs and pork products from African swine fever (ASF) hit areas intercepted 14 pigs of dubious origin in Escalante City on Monday, August 12.
The pigs that arrived on board a pumpboat were unloaded at Berden Beach Resort in Barangay Rizal, Escalante, and transferred to a Canter, Arsolene Cordova, livestock section head of the Escalante City Agriculture Office, said Tuesday.
They pigs were intercepted by barangay tanods, he said.
The persons transporting the pigs said they came from Molocaboc, Sagay, but were unable to produce papers to back their claim, Cordova said.
They said they were transporting the pigs to Bacood City, he said.
Cordova questioned why the pigs were unloaded in a secluded area in Escalante City when Sagay City has its own port.
Since the point origin of the pigs was dubious they directed the persons transporting them to load them back on the pumpboat and return them to where they came from, Cordova said.
Apparently they did not return to where they came from because on Tuesday the 14 pigs were intercepted in Calatrava, he said.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr Placeda Lemana said the pigs were confiscated in Calatrava.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Negros Occidental still has a ban on the entry of pigs and pork products from ASF hit areas.
Among these areas are Cebu and Negros Oriental where ASF positive pigs were recently detected in Valencia town.
Lacson said the pigs intercepted in Escalante were from Cebu and were sent back.
All intercepted banned pigs and pork products will be sent back to their points of origin, Lacson said.*