Hog deaths in Negros Occidental affects outbound sales

THE OUTBOUND sales of hogs and pork products in Negros Occidental was already affected due to the massive hog deaths in the province, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said Tuesday, May 30.

“That’s why we are finding ways, and doing everything to help our hog farmers,” Diaz said.

“We are doing our own testing, surveillance, and culling. We test to prove that our hogs are healthy and can be sold. We segregate those that are healthy from those that are unhealthy,” he added.

He said several hog farmers and sellers reported to the provincial government that their buyers outside the province had pulled out of their orders.

Diaz said that some ferry vessels are also refusing to carry hogs from Negros and shipping them to other areas, such as Luzon.

Diaz said he has yet to receive the data as to how many sellers were affected.

The provincial administrator also said they will try to find a way to convince the buyers, as some of them are even refusing to pay a reasonable price for the hogs.

Among the solutions they are eyeing are to show buyers proof that the hogs being sold to them are healthy, by providing veterinary certificates confirming the hogs were tested for both ASF and hog cholera.

As of May 29, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) has now logged a total of 7,202 hog deaths, with losses now at more than P88.2 million.

So far, only Bacolod City has reported confirmed ASF cases, while the rest of Negros Occidental still remains Asf-free, although they are currently battling the spread of hog cholera, another swine disease which is almost similar to ASF.*TDE