• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz yesterday said that provincial government of Negros Occidental and the Department of Agriculture – Western Visayas have agreed to jointly address the spate of hog cholera cases that have triggered deaths of pigs in the province.
This comes after the Incident Management Team (IMT) tasked to address hog diseases in Negros Occidental has been activated, in the wake of deaths of more than 2,400 pigs all over the province.
As stipulated in the executive order issued by Gov. Jose Lacson, which creates the IMT for Animal Biosecurity Threat, Diaz said it spells out the protocols and system that will be followed on dealing of threats to the hog industry.
The DA-Western Visayas earlier reported that all the 27 blood samples taken from dead hogs tested negative of ASF (African Swine Fever). It however said that further testing will be conducted.
Border checkpoints have already been established by some local government units in their respective areas to prevent the spread of hog cholera.
Diaz said that mapping of affected areas and green zones, or unaffected areas, will be made.
After the identifying the ground zero where hogs died, we will work for surveillance and screening, so that we will know the full extent of infection, and how serious is the situation, he added.
Diaz also said that the African Swine Fever ordinance is being deliberated at the Sanggunian Panlalawigan, to determine the penalty on those trying to bring in pigs and its by-products into Negros Occidental from ASF-affected areas.
He also appealed to hog raisers “to be more responsible in their biosecurity to prevent the spread of hog diseases.”*
