By Marisol Bo-oc | 09:29 PM August 22, 2023
The provincial government of Bohol continues to strengthen its border control operations to prevent the entry of live pigs and pork products amid the continuing threat posed by African swine fever (ASF).
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has tagged Bohol as a “green zone” or an ASF-free province, making it one of the most trusted and major suppliers of pigs for slaughter in Visayas and other parts of the country.
Light green zone or protected zone are regions or provinces with no cases of ASF,
and considered low-risk provinces but are contigr”rous with the Yellow Zone, in terms of land mass.
DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI)’s officer-in-charge, Paul Limson, through a letter his office sent to DA-7’s Regional Executive Director Angel Enriquez, said after a series of reviews and tests conducted in Bohol yielded negative results.
According to Provincial Media Affairs Office (Pimo), as of August 22, the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian announced that Bohol remains in the dark green zone classification, indicating that ASF has not been detected among live hogs situated in the province since the first case was reported in Barangay San Vicente, Pilar town.
The provincial government of Bohol conducted a series of protocols to prevent the virus from spreading to other areas in the province.
There were 87 pigs killed and buried.
To protect the P6-billion hog industry of the province, Gov. Aris Aumentado said Bohol will continue its strict biosecurity measures and regular monitoring to avoid ASF from entering the island.
According to the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration, ASF is a highly contagious and deadly swine disease. While it does not affect humans, infected pigs have a very high chance of dying from the disease and therefore has a high potential of wiping out the local hog industry.
