ASF hits Isabela hogs

SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela, Philippines  – Hogs in two towns in this province have been affected by African swine fever (ASF).

Director Narciso Edillo of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Cagayan Valley said pigs  in Mallig and Quirino tested positive for ASF.

Edillo said an emergency meeting of hog raisers as well as local government and agriculture officials was conducted on Wednesday to discuss measures to ensure that the swine disease would not spread to other towns.

Provincial veterinarian Angelo Naui said 77 pigs raised in backyard piggeries in Barangays Bimonton, Casili and Rang-ayan in Mallig and San Miguel in Quirino were culled.

As this developed, agriculture officials intensified quarantine checkpoints in Sta. Fe and Kayapa in Nueva Vizcaya; Nagtipunan, Quirino; Ramon, Mallig, and Sta. Maria and Sta. Praxedes, Cagayan to monitor vehicles coming from Metro Manila and nearby areas.

In Cebu City, Mayor Edgardo Labella issued an executive order banning the entry of pork from Mindanao for 60 days to prevent the spread of ASF.

The DA confirmed that ASF reached Mindanao with outbreaks reported in Don Marcelino and Jose Abad Santos towns in Davao Occidental.

The ban on the entry of hogs, pork and processed meat from Luzon remains in effect in Cebu City under an existing order.

Hogs in Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Tarlac, Rizal, Cavite, Pangasinan as well as Quezon City, Caloocan City and Malabon in Metro Manila were affected by ASF last year.