THE Provincial African swine fever (ASF) task force has tapped meat inspectors and local government units (LGU) to ensure that Cebu continues to be free of live hogs and pork-related products from Luzon while the 100-day temporary ban remains in effect.

This developed after local officials discovered during a surprise inspection that at least three stores in Talisay City were selling pork products from Luzon.

Provincial Veterinarian Mary Rose Vincoy said the hotdogs, tocino and canned goods found in Talisay were probably brought in prior to the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 16 on Sept. 18, 2019.

EO 16 amended the earlier EOs related to ASF in order to implement a total ban on the entry of live hogs, pork, pork-related products, byproducts and boar semen from Luzon into Cebu for a period of 100 days.

Since supermarkets and grocery stores have already pulled out their products, Vincoy suspected that a supplier might have distributed the canned goods and processed pork products to wet markets and smaller stores.

“(Based on) the surveillance right now, they are targeting wet markets, but we are coordinating with meat inspectors so that LGUs will also fully cooperate,” Vincoy said.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia shared the sentiment, saying LGUs should actively participate in implementing measures against the ASF virus, which is fatal to pigs.

“They should also act on it because it’s also for their own protection,” she added.

Aside from tapping LGUs, the governor said she will call again a meeting with the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu and its trash haulers to ask them to subject leftovers and food scraps to thermo destruction.

She will also meet with leaders of the Korean community in Cebu to discuss the provisions of all existing EOs after South Korea reported cases of ASF infection resulting in the culling of 50,000 hogs. (RTF)