Call for public vigilance and more stringent border measures shall be implemented at all ports in Region 7 following the official declaration of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Region 8 – the first case of ASF in the Visayas.
Field reports on alleged high mortalities among swine population in Abuyog, Leyte since the first week of January (although unconfirmed yet at that time) already triggered an alarm thus the Central Visayas Animal Disease Surveillance Advisory Committee (CV ADSAC) under the Department of Agriculture Region 7 convened in a virtual meeting on 13 January 2021 the Chief Veterinarians in all four provinces and other City Veterinarians together with the Regional Vet Quarantine Services 7 (RVQS-7) and Director Eduardo Oblena of the National Meat Inspection Services – Region 7 (NMIS-7).
Personnel of the LGUs and the RVQS-7 deployed in ports are directed to strictly check all documents accompanying transported swine (including pork) and ensure that all livestock transport vehicles are properly disinfected (disinfection certificates must be present at all ports). Online application for shipping permits is already enforced by the RVQS-7 with an additional requirement for submission of a route plan.
Bohol issued last November 26, 2020 EO 56 s2020 regulating transport and movement of pigs. Bohol is now implementing regulation where trucks containing pigs are unloaded / loaded only in designated areas within their ports. Meanwhile the Province of Cebu will soon release a new Executive Order regarding establishment of quarantine regulations on the entry of livestock transport vehicles and vessels into the province of Cebu. The veterinarians have further discussed the designation of specific ports in the region for entry/exit for trucks from Luzon and other regions affected by ASF.
The group also agreed to the conduct of random blood sample collections on slaughterhouses for negative surveillance. The laboratory tests will be conducted at the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory-7 (RADDL-7).
To ensure the protection of the region against entry of the ASF virus, all stakeholders and the general public are advised to:
1. Avoid feeding pigs with swill
2. Avoid the purchase of processed pork products coming from areas affected with ASF
3. implement biosecurity measures in all swine farms (backyard or commercial)
4. ensure that traders and animal feed deliveries must properly disinfect their transport vehicles.
Importantly, unexplained mortalities in pigs must be reported immediately to the local veterinary office or municipal agriculture offices.
We urge everyone to be vigilant in maintaining CV ASF-free. # # # (DA-RFO VII)
