PRICE of pork in the market dropped by as much as P20 per kilogram following the swine flu scare, particularly a rumor spread that backyard piggeries in some parts of the province were infected with flu.

Dr. Rodolfo Custodio, vice president for Northern Luzon of the National Federation of Hog Farmers and also the president for the group’s Pangasinan chapter, said news of the global swine flu infestation and the suspected swine flu cases here drastically pulled down the farm gate price from P110 per kilogram in February to only P90 this week.

“After Ebola Reston virus that also recently hit Pangasinan but eventually cleared, here is another problem,” Custodio said, adding however that swine influenza in some piggery farms in Pangasinan is preventable.

He said the Mexican swine flu which has created a worldwide scare is different from the one that has been hitting backyard piggery raisers in Pangasinan.

“Last week, the price was already at P98 but it dropped again to P90 because of this malicious report,” he told The PUNCH.

The Provincial Veterinary Office, mean-while, has intensified its animal quarantine checkpoints in 10 entry and exit areas around Pangasinan.

Dr. Benedicto Perez, provincial veterinarian, told The PUNCH that personnel from the Pangasinan veterinary’s office are manning the entry and exit points on a 24-hour basis.

The manned check-points are in Aloo in Umingan, Bakit-bakit and Carmen in Rosales, Asan Sur in Sison, Mabilao in San Fabian, along the boundary of Pangasinan- Camiling, Infanta town, Wawa in Bayambang, Bongalon in Labrador and in Mangatarem near the Tarlac boundary.

Governor Amado Espino Jr. has also approved fielding more personnel to ensure that no contaminated meat enters the market.

Perez said meat inspectors have been tasked to visit slaughterhouses randomly to check on the health of animals butchered as well as in the markets.

Custodia said the industry needs a provision for an indemnity fund from government for affected hog raisers.#

CANTO CALMS
DOWN DAGUPEÑOS

In Dagupan, Councilor Jesus Canto, former director of the Region 1 Medical Center, asked cityfolk not to panic over the swine flu reports.

Canto said the local pork, which comes from neighboring Mangaldan, is safe, but advised households to cook the meat well.

“I am confident that with our experience in battling SARS, the threat of the Mexican flu coming into our shores can be prevented,” said Canto.

He added that while the Department of Health and other agencies are doing a tight watch at the ports of entries, local government units, particularly their veterinarians, can also help by containing the Porcine Reproductive Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), a swine flu-like pig disease presently afflicting farms in the provinces, including Pangasinan.

About 100 hogs were reported to have been already infected by PRRS in some towns of Pangasinan and 50 of these were confirmed to have died.

He said although the possibility of the dreaded H1N1 swine flu strain getting into the Philippines is very remote, the practice of butchering sick pigs or selling “double dead” meat must be stopped completely.—LM

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