LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – The city government of Laoag, through its veterinary office, is implementing strict monitoring and inspection of pork products entering the city to avoid African swine fever (ASF) infection.
According to City Veterinarian Samantha Licudine, the tightened monitoring is enforced following the recorded ASF case in the province of La Union.
She said that the Provincial Veterinary Office has already announced that piglets and finishing pigs are not permitted to enter Ilocos Norte.
“Right now, we’re only allowing breeders from reputable sources as long as they have complete certification and permits. The live pigs that come into the city go straight to the city slaughterhouse for inspection and verification of permits and certifications,” Licudine said.
The city veterinarian warned hog raisers to look out for the following symptoms of ASF:
- Vomiting
- Red or purple skin lesions
- Diarrhea
- Red eyes
- Difficulty breathing
- Weakness
- Sudden death
Licudine also advised hog raisers to maintain cleanliness of pig pens to avoid possible infection.
Moreover, meat vendors at the Laoag City public market assured that their pork products are properly inspected to ensure the safety of products.
“We can assure that our meat products in the market are safe from ASF because we make sure that what we sell has proper certification from the slaughterhouse,” Romel Nanay, a meat vendor, said.
Based on the latest price monitoring report of the City Agriculture Office, pork ham and kasim (cuts of pork from the shoulder or neck area) are priced at P300 to P310 per kilo, while pork liempo cut is P300 per kilo.
Laoag City was among the areas affected by ASF in 2021.
This resulted in financial loss of local hog raisers and insufficient supply of pork in the city at that time. (AMB/EJFG/PIA Ilocos Norte)
