CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – The provincial government has allowed the transport of live hogs from this province to Panay Island which is still under a state of calamity due to the contagious African Swine Fever (ASF).
Gov. Humerlito A. Dolor issued Executive Order No. 57 approving the new hog transport agreement on August 24 with emphasis that traders from Oriental Mindoro should sell their products at not less than the farm gate price of P150 per kilo.
Under the order, only livestock haulers from Oriental Mindoro who are duly licensed by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) shall be allowed to transport hogs to Aklan, one of the four provinces in Panay Island.
The delivery trucks will just drop or transfer the pigs at Barangay Sambiray in Malay, Aklan and should not proceed to piggery farms and production areas declared or undeclared as ASF-infected areas.
Prior to their return to Oriental Mindoro, assigned veterinary or agricultural personnel in Aklan should ensure that these transport vehicles are cleaned and should issue disinfectant ticket to show that the cleaning process was performed.
Dolor said that Oriental Mindoro still implements a total ban on the entry of live pigs from other provinces either in transit or with a final destination in the province.
“In 2022, we have delivered a total of 340,000 live hogs outside our province which made Oriental Mindoro as one of the biggest exporters of pigs in the country,” Dolor told a group of hog raisers during a meeting at the capitol on Thursday.
Dolor stressed in the meeting that the prevailing price of P150 per kilo or more should be maintained to avoid manipulation of hog prices and protect local farmers.
One of the conditions imposed by the governor is the submission of a proof of purchase to the Veterinary Office of Oriental Mindoro to show compliance.
Capiz and Aklan and some parts of Antique and Iloilo were placed under the state of calamity due to the ill-effects of ASF.