Two more towns afflicted with ASF virus

CITY OF MALOLOS: Two more towns in Bulacan were afflicted with African swine fever ( ASF), forcing authorities to cull 1,200 pigs.

In Pandi town, Mayor Enrico Roque confirmed that 191 swines at Corpus Farm located in Barangay Baka- bakahan were culled after the Department of Agriculture ( DA) in Central Luzon found the blood sample was ASF positive as well as the 1,000 livestock in the town of Pulilan.

Roque said only 191 pigs were killed at Corpus Farm owned by Mae Gonzales contrary to her claim that more than 1,000 pigs were killed on September 27 and 28.

According to Elsie Angeles, officerincharge of the Pandi Municipal Agriculture Office, it is also not true that the culled pigs were negative in the ASF test as Gonzales claimed in her television interview.

Angeles added the culled animals were electrocuted and not crushed by a backhoe before being thrown in a pit.

The Livestock Raisers of Pandi ( Lirap), a group of hog raisers, on Thursday sought the help of Roque appealing to the other local municipalities in Bulacan to lift the “no in and out” policy implemented against hog traders.

They called the attention of Gov. Daniel Fernando to help them convince the local municipalities to reopen or let the free trading in all slaughterhouses in the province.

Andy Xu, owner of Panda Farm and a member of Lirap, said he has more than 900 pigs, but they were not infected with the said virus.

“Unfortunately, we were not allowed to bring our livestock in the slaughterhouses even we have documents and certifications from concerned government agencies that our pigs are safe and passed the safety measure process,” Xu said.

Roque and Pulilan Mayor Ma. Rosario Ochoa- Montejo said quarantine checkpoints for all animals going in and out of their respective towns were now strictly being implemented.

Blood samples from livestock raisers were being done regularly and culling and depopulations of affected swine are being made.