PANGASINAN – Governor I. Amado Espino III has directed all poultry owners and stakeholders as well as the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPVet), to coordinate and prepare well amid the threat of "bird flu" and Newcastle disease.
The instruction was relayed by the governor during a meeting on Wednesday with the OPVet, poultry integrators, other livestock farmers, and local governments in the province as part of the provincial government’s intensified monitoring of the disease.
Gov. Espino specifically instructed the OPVet to meet the stakeholders in the sector and take their possible grievances with regards to the Avian Influenza (bird flu) and Newcastle Disease.
The province nevertheless has remained bird flu-free, although its attention was alerted by the several cases of Newcastle Disease in Labrador reported by the provincial veterinarian.
Only last month, the governor issued an executive order for the temporary ban on the entry of live ducks and quails in Pangasinan to ensure the safety of local domesticated ducks and quail in the province.
It was reported that there was an outbreak of bird flu in Bulacan and Pampanga during the latter part of January up to early March, prompting Gov. Espino to issue a law temporarily banning the entry of ducks and quail from the provinces.
Since then, authorities in Pangasinan made several suggestions, including intense information dissemination among the people, and tapping the expertise of the municipal agriculturists, market supervisors, and livestock and meat inspectors to ensure that the poultry meat in the market is safe and clean.