BACOLOD CITY -- The local government here and in Negros Occidental are prohibiting the entry of pork and any pork products from Central Visayas as part of their measures to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). In a joint executive order of the two LGUs, the ban covers all live pigs, boar semen, pork, pork products, and other pork-based food items coming from Cebu, Camotes Island and Bantayan Island. The executive order issued on March 7, 2023, was signed by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, and Mayor Alfredo Abelardo ‘Albee’ Benitez. Both Bacolod City and Negros Occidental had earlier banned the entry of the pork-based food items from Luzon, Mindanao, Region 8, Panay island, Guimaras island, and other countries affected by ASF as declared by the Department of Agriculture (DA). The executive order stated that the Bureau of Animal Industry-Animal Disease Diagnosis and Reference Laboratory has confirmed the detection of ASF in pigs from Carcar City, Cebu. The detection prompted the province of Negros Occidental to adopt stringent measures to protect the local hog industry of the province against the serious threat of the ASF. The province is one of the leading producers of hogs in the country. Processed pork products, including canned goods, fully-cooked pork chicharon, pork-based seasonings and transhipped items from ASF-free areas shall be exempted from the ban, the executive order said. Shipments with irregularities in their shipping and supporting documents are also prohibited in the province. Veterinary inspectors have been ordered to intercept the entry and confiscate all pork and pork products from the said areas during the conduct of inspection at seaports, airports, and other points of entry. All local chief executives were directed to strengthen biosafety, hygiene, and sanitation standards in poultry dressing plants, live pig’s market and poultry farms in their respective jurisdiction. The local police, the DA, and other concerned government agencies were enjoined to heighten the security and patrol of the borders of the Negros province and the city of Bacolod in the implementation of the executive order.