TWO groups of gamefowl breeders in Negros Occidental, through the Provincial Board, requested Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to extend the shipment ban in the province specifically for gamefowl.
On August 22, the Department of Agriculture (DA) lifted the ban on shipment of poultry products from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao on certain conditions.
The Negros Gamefowl Breeders Association (NGBA) and Gamefowl Breeders Association of Negros (GBAN) requested on Wednesday a one-month extension before the SP through Fourth District Board Member Victor Javellana, chairman of the committee of agriculture.
Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said breeders in the province are not yet confident and comfortable with the current situation amid the lifting of the ban.
He said fighting cock breeders in the province are “apprehensive” of the possible impact of the bird flu outbreak to the upcoming national derbies next month.
“This is the sentiment of the Negrense gamefowl breeders despite the assurance that the virus was already contained,” Decena said, adding that the gamefowl industry is the underground economy of Negros Occidental.
After the approval on Wednesday, the Provincial Government will send the request to the DA-Central Office in Manila.
The Provincial Board will also distribute copies of the request to DA Regional Field Office 6, Regional Veterinary Quarantine Office, and officials and members of the two associations.
During the session, Decena also presented before the board members the impact of the bird flu outbreak in Pampanga to the Negros Occidental’s poultry industry.
Decena said that during the 12-day shipment ban, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) monitored a decrease in the shipment of gamefowl which resulted to losses of about P1 million among local breeders.
There was also a decrease in the shipment of chicken to Panay provinces while there was no entry of “balut” to the province. The province, however, was able to ship 100,000 pieces of table eggs to Panay last week, he added.
“Through the request, the local breeders want the National Government to know that gamefowl is also one of the major industries of Negros as it produces 25,000 to 50,000 ready to fight gamefowls every month,” Decena said.
Moreover, one of the conditions set for the shipment ban lifting includes: products must not be sourced within the seven-kilometer quarantine radius of bird flu affected areas in San Luis, Pampanga and in the towns of Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija.
For gamefowl, Decena said the product must pass through two laboratory tests indicating that it is negative of bird flu. There should be veterinary health certificate from the veterinarian, and shipping permit.
“Amid the lifting of the ban, the quarantine measures in the province remain in place,” he said, adding that Negros Occidental already has strong quarantine program vital in sustaining its strong livestock and poultry industry.