Hog raisers in Negros Occidental can now directly ship live pigs to Batangas as the province maintains its status of being African swine fever (ASF)-free.

Dr. Renante Decena, provincial veterinarian, said in a statement on Tuesday previously, Negros Occidental supplied fattened hogs to Luzon through a port in Manila, but recently shipped stocks direct to Batangas.

“The province is one of the most trusted and major suppliers of pigs for slaughter in Luzon. The intended markets are the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, and Laguna,” he added.

Decena said travel time from Bredco port in Bacolod to Batangas is shorter, which means reduced stress and loss of weight among live hogs.

Recently, Negros Occidental dispatched 577 heads in a single shipment to Luzon via Batangas Port. These were supplied by both commercial and backyard hog raisers.

In a related development, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) is arranging the possibility of barge shipment of breeder pigs from the Bureau of Animal Industry-accredited farms in the province such as Jaltas, V-4, and Central Farms-PIC.

This is in response to the call of the Department of Agriculture for hog- restocking and repopulation program, following the ASF outbreaks in some parts of the country, and is seen to help commercial hog raisers in Batangas and Occidental Mindoro.

Other provinces have been requesting the PVO to facilitate the shipment through nautical highway because Oriental Mindoro does not allow pigs to pass through their province going to Luzon since last year despite the written request of Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.

Decena said Negros Occidental has asked the help of national government agencies to facilitate the movement of live hogs from ASF-free zones to different parts of Luzon to support their restocking and repopulation effort.

“We will continue to provide supply of breeder and slaughter hogs to support the needs of ASF-affected provinces in the country,” he added.

As a policy, Negros Occidental provincial government prohibits pigs and pork-based goods coming from Luzon, Mindanao, and Eastern Visayas to protect its PHP6-billion swine industry from the ASF. (PNA)