• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
No ASF (African Swine Fever) in hogs in Bago City, Negros Occidental, unless it is declared by the Agriculture Department’s Bureau of Animal Industry, Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer said yesterday.
This was the reaction of Ferrer to reports that the two hogs that tested positive for ASF virus in Brgy. Taculing, Bacolod City, came from Bago City.
Ferrer said there should be testing of blood samples taken from swine in Bago City, before an announcement from BAI, if ASF is indeed detected in those areas.
Bago City ranked second in terms of the number of hog fatalities, according to reports of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO).
As of May 26, hog cholera and other diseases have killed more than 6,379 hogs in 14 local government units of Negros Occidental, PVO reports showed.
As to the declaration of state of calamity, Ferrer said “we need to know the correct data, to guide our decision,” stressing that, as of Sunday, there are still negative test results for ASF.
Although there is no official confirmation in the province, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said they are treating hog diseases as “ASF.”
Damage to the P6-billion hog industry in Negros Occidental, considered one of the biggest in the country, has so far been pegged at P75.5million, according to PVO reports.
Ferrer said that the current spate of hog deaths is affecting food security in Negros Occidental.
He added that the provincial government will discuss with hog raisers regarding the assistance they can give.
PVO records show that Negros Occidental has logged an average of 400 hog deaths per day. Only the first and sixth districts of Negros Occidental have had no disease-related hog deaths.*
