METRO

Hogs seized in QC anew due to fake permits

Vivienne Angeles (VA) · Aug 16, 2024, 4:22 PM

(FILES) The African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs, with a high mortality rate.

Another two trucks transporting hogs were blocked on Friday after presenting fake documents to an African Swine Fever (ASF) inspection site in Quezon City.

According to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), one truck contained 87 hogs, while the other had 14. The exact origin of the hogs is unknown, as the documents presented were fake.

In other developments, the hogs from the first truck tested positive for ASF, while hogs from the other truck showed clinical signs of ASF, according to the BAI.

“The blood tests showed the hogs are positive for the ASF virus, so we have no choice but to condemn them and dispose of their carcass at the central burial site we have identified,” DA Assistant Secretary for Swine and Poultry Dante Palabrica said.

“Trucks have been cleansed and disinfected to ensure they will not spread the virus,” he added.

Palabrica cited that the seized hogs raised suspicion that they were ASF-infected as they were undersized, further noting that “no hog raiser worth his salt would sell them at these weights.”