Amidst the resurgence of African Swine Fever (ASF) in some key areas in the Visayas, Tacloban City remains free from the hog disease to date, the City Veterinary Office reported on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

According to Dr. Rogiel Mahait, Veterinarian I and ASF Focal of the CVO, the city has had no new cases of the contagious viral pig disease since 2020, when more than 70 heads of swine were culled from raisers in Barangay 83, Cogon San Jose, and Marasbaras. The affected raisers were then given 5,000 pesos in cash assistance from the Department of Agriculture and received 3 piglets and sacks of hog feed each.

The official also said that there is no ban on pork meat products, but the CVO stringently requires shippers and dealers to comply with some documentary requirements before live pigs and processed products are accepted into the city.

Shippers of meat and processed meat products must present the following requirements before a certificate of acceptance is issued: License to operate, certificate of product registration, certificate of meat inspection, certificate of registration/license of a transport carrier by NMIS and VQS, and picture of the transport carrier.

On the other hand, dealers of live hogs are required to have the following documents: a certificate of ASF-free status, farm registration, a veterinary health certificate, a livestock handlers permit from DA, disinfection clearance, a certificate of vehicle registration from DA, a picture of the transport carrier, a master list of recipients within Tacloban City, and registration of livestock and poultry transport carriers.

The bulk of the city’s meat supply comes from Cebu City and Mindanao.

Mahait also said that, as part of their mitigation measures against the hog disease, they also conduct random blood sampling of hogs every week. The blood samples are sent to the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for testing. Last week, six samples from barangays Tagpuro and New Kawayan were sent by the office to the said laboratory. The office has scheduled blood tests this week in Brgy. Basper and Otap.

Meanwhile, the CVO cautioned the public to wait for official announcements before believing unconfirmed reports on the hog disease, as this will have inadvertent effects on the hog industry in the city.

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via H.J. ROCA/CIO