Cebu ready to open borders for pigs from other LGUs, but…

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu Provincial Government is now ready to open its borders again to accept shipments of hogs and pork products from other local government units in the country provided they are willing to adopt Cebu’s biosecurity measures against the African Swine Fever (ASF) and other swine diseases.

 “Cebu is ready to open its ports and airport to all local chief executives regardless of whether they have been colored red or pink, especially if they have been colored red or pink, for as long as we shall enter into a memorandum of agreement where amongst others, our own protocols in protecting our hog industry be adopted as well in the respective local government units of these LCES (local chief executives),” Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said during a press conference in Tudela town in Camotes island yesterday.

 The Province of Cebu previously imposed a ban on the entry of live hogs and pork products from Luzon and some parts of Visayas and Mindanao with confirmed cases of ASF, in a bid to protect the P11-billion hog industry of the province.

  The recent was the executive order Garcia issued imposing a 60-day ban on the entry of live hogs and pork-related products from Negros Island.

 Garcia said she had reached out to the two governors in Negros Island if they are willing to meet with the Cebu Capitol and adopt a common biosecurity measure which Cebu is currently implementing.

 “And I am also issuing this to all our local government chief executives in Luzon and Mindanao, the only thing I asked is they would adopt the same measure that we are now implementing here in Cebu because this has been proven as indeed effective in protecting our hog industry, our local hog industry,” Garcia said.

  Protocols include a strict monitor of all backyard hog raisers, regular disinfection, regular reports upon the manifestation of symptoms of the sick pig, and immediate isolation to protect the other swine.

 Garcia said that since the implementation of these protocols there have been no massive deaths recorded in the province.

As of June 7, provincial veterinarian Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy said there are only 64 pigs manifested symptoms of swine infection out of the 616,930 total swine population in the entire province.

“We have very very simple protocols, and these protocols have been proven effective. As I said what has happened here in Cebu where there are no massive deaths even if I had refused the culling policy of BAI. What has happened here in Cebu has now become an embarrassment for Bureau of Animal Industry because they cannot answer me. Now I am seriously beginning to question if in fact ASF were really that deadly,” Garcia said.

 Garcia and the local officials in Cebu have urged the BAI to lift its ASF color coding in Cebu and in other parts of the country as this is already affecting the local backyard hog raisers in the province, particularly in Camotes Island.

In fact, local officials of Camotes Island are complaining because their live pigs are no longer accepted by their neighboring areas like Ormoc City, their biggest market. Camotes island is considered the “livestock capital” of Ormoc since the island is the biggest supplier of hogs in the city, according to Tudela Mayor Greman Solante.

Solante said the restrictions imposed by BAI resulted in the LGU of Ormoc issuing an executive order banning live hogs from Cebu Province.

“Since February 28 wa gyud single, gisulti na sa atong livestock growers, walay bisag usa nga namatay tungod sa ASF,” Solante said.

“Sakit kaayo paminawon nga dako kaayo ni nga epekto sa amoa kay nindot man gud unta kay didto ta sa Ormoc modawat og volume. Unya kun magsalig lang ta sa local market, aw swerte lang ta if kada adlaw naay fiesta mahalin gyud atong baboy. Unya ang pait pud ani gawas sa mahal ang feeds, og madugay ang baboy nga dili mahalin mamenus ang presyo,” said Poro town Mayor Edgar Rama. — FPL (FREEMAN)