THE Veterinary Quarantine Services unit of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Davao-Bureau of Animal Industry assured that there are no smuggling activities of pork in Davao City.
This came after a group of local hog raisers released a statement on the possibility of smuggled pork entering the city causing its farm gate price to remain low despite the temporary import ban on pork meat from other countries.
Veterinary Quarantine Services Unit officer Ma. Teresa Bacayo said in a phone interview yesterday, August 21, 2019, that the inspection procedure of commodities entering the city has been “very strict”.
“Smuggling will not happen here in our city. It won’t happen given that we have a very strict procedure,” Bacayo said.
“In behalf of the [unit], we strongly follow the strict procedure on meat products from other countries. We will strictly follow whatever the procedure and at the same time, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) aspect of the products coming in,” she added.
Products entering the city will have to submit a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Certificate (SPSIC) from their country to ensure safety. It will then have to pass through the Veterinary Quarantine Services unit for inspection.
“Ang importation na muabot na ginagamit sa atong mga commercial manufacturers, 20 vans a month lang na siya. Ma-inspect gyud na namo kay gamay raman na and every day, naa gyud mi sa port (There are only 20 vans of imported products from our commercial suppliers every month. We could really inspect all of it since we are at the port every day),” Bacayo said.
Meanwhile, Bacayo said there has been no confiscated frozen and processed meat in the entrances of the city so far since May this year due to the massive information dissemination on Asian Swine Flu (ASF) from countries like China, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine and from seven more other Asian and European countries.