INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
BACOLOD CITY 鈥� Authorities are keeping a close watch on the borders of Negros Occidental to prevent the entry of banned pork following an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in Barangay West Balabag in Valencia town, Negros Oriental.
Dr. Placeda Lemana, the provincial veterinarian, said pigs and pork products from Negros Oriental were still banned from entering Negros Occidental as a safety precaution against ASF.
Lemana said authorities conduct spot checks in La Castellana town to prevent the entry of pigs and pork from Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
There are also 24/7 checkpoints at the borders of Kabankalan City and Hinoba-an.
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鈥淲e also keep a close watch during market days in Canlaon City and check supermarkets and markets to prevent the sale of banned pork products,鈥� Lemana said.
Last year, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson issued an executive order banning the entry of live pigs, boar semen, pork, and its related products from Negros Oriental and other ASF-hit areas.
Dr. Alfonso Tundag, quarantine officer of the Negros Oriental Bureau of Animal Industry, said the ASF cases in Valencia are a re-emergence from a previous outbreak last year.
From Aug. 5 to 9, at least 197 hogs were culled in Barangay West Balabag, Valencia, with 37 farmers affected.
The National Meat Inspection Service said ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs, warthogs, and boars.
It causes pigs to have high fever and lose their appetite and causes hemorrhages in the skin and internal organs. Pigs die within two to 10 days upon affliction. There is no known vaccine against ASF yet.
Meanwhile, Lemana said the price of pork in Negros Occidental has dropped by about 30 centavos per kilo.
In the last week of July, the average pork price in the province was P323 per kilo.
The price went down to about P322 in August, Lemana said.
READ: Batangas town under state of calamity due to ASF