Pangasinan town bans live pigs, frozen pork over ASF fears

BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan – This central Pangasinan town has temporarily banned the entry and exit of live pigs and fresh and frozen pork to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF).

Executive Order No. 156 was issued after an emergency meeting on Thursday, after isolated ASF cases were detected in six barangays in the town. 

The prohibition will run for 30 days from October 1, unless it is lifted, amended, revoked, or extended.

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READ: Pork prices fall as farmers rush to sell amid ASF fears

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Bayambang is currently classified as a Red Zone for ASF.

Municipal Information Officer Rafael Saygo said the executive order is meant to strictly monitor the movement of pigs into and out of Bayambang, which is also implementing the Department of Agriculture’s new ASF guidelines. 

If two to three confirmed hogs are infected with the disease and within a 500-meter radius, culling must be carried out under the Test-and-Destroy strategy protocols. If the pigs are still healthy and in good condition, the Test-and-Slaughter approach may be implemented, subject to the DA’s assessment and protocols.

“We continue to coordinate with the concerned agencies to ensure that our response is properly and correctly implemented,” Saygo said.

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Among the measures are that all pigs and pork products transported into or out of Bayambang have complete permits, certificates, clearances, and other required documents. They must also comply with requirements of the DA, Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), and other concerned agencies.

Shipments must also pass through designated ASF inspection and quarantine checkpoints and comply with zoning, quarantine, and biosecurity protocols. Transporters must have proper authorization from the concerned government agencies.

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ASF inspection and quarantine checkpoints will be established at strategic entry and exit points of the municipality.

Authorities may inspect and monitor commercial and backyard swine farms, meat processors and meat-packing establishments, supermarkets and groceries, public and private markets and talipapa, slaughterhouses, food establishments, and other facilities involved in the handling, transport, sale, processing or storage of pigs and pork products.

Saygo said the Revised Guidelines for Granting Cash Assistance to Hog Raisers Affected by ASF were also discussed, including cash assistance for affected hog raisers, with a maximum of P500,000.

The meeting also clarified how ASF is transmitted, noting that the virus is spread when it is transferred to pigs and not through the air.

READ: Commercial rollout of first ASF vaccine in PH OKayed

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Control measures discussed included selective and non-selective depopulation, use of disinfectant spray-mounted trucks, intensive surveillance activities, heightened biosecurity and quarantine protocols, and zoning through the issuance of Certificates of Freedom from ASF (CFS-ASF). /coa