Negros Oriental bans pork to stop ASF spread

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Negros Oriental provincial government has revived its African swine fever task force and imposed a complete ban on the entry of live pigs, pork products, pork by-products, frozen boar semen, and hog transport vehicles from ASF-affected, restricted, or high-risk areas.

In Executive Order No. 46 issued Thursday, Gov. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria ordered the adoption of preventive, precautionary, and extraordinary measures against ASF to strengthen local biosecurity and border control systems, protect the local swine industry, and safeguard the province’s pork supply.

Sagarbarria said the measures are necessary to prevent the possible entry and spread of ASF in the province and minimize economic disruption to backyard raisers, commercial farms, traders, and consumers.

The governor said no shipment, delivery, transport, or conveyance of live pigs for breeding, fattening, slaughter, trade, or any other purpose will be allowed to enter the province from ASF-affected areas.

The ban also covers pork, pork products, pork by-products, frozen boar semen, and related regulated articles intended for sale, distribution, processing, storage, or personal carriage.

The order prohibits hog transport vehicles, livestock carriers, trucks, trailers, and similar conveyances used to transport live pigs, pork, pork products, pork by-products, frozen boar semen, or related regulated articles from ASF-affected, restricted, or high-risk areas unless expressly authorized under applicable quarantine, disinfection, and downtime protocols.

The protocols may be adopted by the Provincial Veterinary Office, or PVO, consistent with laws and national issuances.

Any hog or livestock transport vehicle exceptionally allowed to enter the province under written PVO authority will be subject to mandatory washing, disinfection, quarantine observation, and downtime requirements prescribed by the office or the task force.

Sagarbarria said the Provincial ASF Task Force, led by the PVO and co-chaired by the Provincial Agriculture Office, has been reactivated to oversee, coordinate, and monitor the implementation of the order and related national and local issuances on ASF prevention and control.

The task force was directed to formulate and periodically update the provincial ASF prevention strategy, recommend additional safeguards when warranted by developments in other provinces or regions, coordinate surveillance and reporting, and supervise enforcement activities.

It was also authorized to establish and maintain quarantine inspection points, border control stations, and port inspection measures in strategic entry areas of the province.

These include inspecting shipments, verifying origin and supporting documents, and preventing the unauthorized entry of prohibited animals and products.

Sagarbarria said outbound transport of live hogs from Negros Oriental to Cebu may be allowed, subject to national veterinary quarantine requirements and additional safeguards that may be imposed by the PVO.

The PVO will designate authorized ports of exit and the port of entry for returning livestock transport vehicles.

It will also prescribe washing, disinfection, quarantine observation, downtime, and certification requirements for returning vehicles.

Live pigs, pork, pork products, pork by-products, frozen boar semen, hog transport vehicles, and other regulated items found to have entered or attempted to enter the province in violation of the order will be subject to immediate refusal of entry, return to origin, confiscation, impoundment when applicable, and disposition under existing laws, rules, regulations, and biosafety protocols.

Confiscated pork, pork products, pork by-products, frozen boar semen, and other regulated materials will be inventoried and documented before disposal by the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian or the concerned local government veterinary or agriculture office.

The governor also directed all cities and municipalities to coordinate with the task force, activate local monitoring mechanisms, intensify barangay-level information drives, monitor backyard and commercial swine operations, and immediately report unusual swine mortality or suspected ASF-related incidents to the PVO.

Barangays were encouraged to organize or reactivate village-level ASF monitoring mechanisms to serve as community-based surveillance and reporting arms for ASF prevention and early detection.

ASF remains a serious transboundary animal disease affecting swine, and recent reports of a resurgence in neighboring Negros Occidental pose a heightened risk of entry and spread into Negros Oriental, the order said.

ASF is highly contagious among pigs and can cause major losses to hog raisers, but health authorities have said it does not pose a risk to human health.

The Bureau of Animal Industry continues to issue ASF status updates, including ASF Bulletin No. 2026-10 dated June 5, 2026, as part of national monitoring efforts.

The reported ASF case in San Enrique, Negros Occidental, earlier this week caused about PHP 5 million in losses due to hog mortalities.