• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Provincial Veterinary Office reports that since September 2023, it has not monitored any resurgence of African Swine Fever (ASF) cases in Negros Occidental.
Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Placeda Lemana said the local government units with ASF positive cases in previous years, except for Escalante City, were already declared as under the pink category, which means there are no ASF cases in those areas.
Lemana, however, said the documents are now in process to declare Escalante under the pink category.
The borders of the province remains closed to hogs from the red areas of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, but allows pork by-products if they have the required Bureau of Animal Industry clearances.
In 2023, ASF and hog cholera caused serious damage to the hog industry in Negros Occidental, resulting in the deaths of more than 18,000 swine in the province, including Bacolod City.
PVO continues to conduct checkpoints in strategic areas to prevent hogs and pork from red areas from being transported into Negros Occidental.*
