ASF-hit Pangasinan village quarantined

BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan, Philippines — The areas in Barangay Apalen in this town where  30 hogs were confirmed to have died of African swine fever (ASF) have been cordoned off.

“This is now under investigation... We are waiting for the result as to where (the virus) came from,” Rosendo So, chairman of the Sama-hang Industriya ng Agrikultura, said.

So reiterated the call of agriculture stakeholders for the Department of the Interior and Local Government to keep the ban on the entry of processed meat and frozen pork as a precautionary measure against ASF.  

So said a meeting of hog raisers in Pangasinan would be held next week to adopt measures to prevent the spread of ASF in the province.

The Department of Agriculture declared Pangasinan ASF-free after hogs grown in Barangay Baloling, Mapandan, where the first ASF cases in the province were reported, tested negative for the virus. The infected hogs came from Bulacan.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said ASF reached two barangays in Dasmariñas, Cavite and in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.

Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite and Quezon City were also affected by ASF.