THE Philippine Retailers Association (PRA)-Cebu assured there are already no canned meat products from countries hit by the African Swine Fever (ASF) on the market shelves.
PRA Cebu press relations officer Robert Go said the retailers have voluntarily pulled out stocks of canned and all meat products from such countries, especially from China.
“All supermarkets have already pulled out all imported meat, especially pork. We have stopped importing anything from those countries affected by ASF,” he said.
With the government imposing stricter policies to prevent the entry of ASF to the country, Go said there is a possibility of pork prices going up.
“The government is really strict now that you need certification,” said Go. He noted that Cebu would need more pork supply because the province is a net consuming economy. “The Cebu pork industry cannot produce enough so many are importing from other provinces,” he said.
The Central Visayas Pork Producers Cooperative has earlier assured the consumers that eating pork sourced within Cebu is safe.
The group called for various stakeholders to help in the preventive measures against the ASF virus that is currently plaguing the hog industries in parts of Europe and Asia.
Department of Trade and Industry-Cebu Provincial Office Director Esperanza Melgar said they have already disseminated the executive order issued by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to retailers.
She said they will be on the lookout for prohibited canned meat products as part of their tasks.
“We will be fielding an enforcement team to check the shelves of retailers as well as monitor price movements,” she said.
Felix Tiukinhoy, president of Philippine Association of Meat Importers Inc., said in an earlier interview that its member-companies are compliant with the guidelines of the Department of Agriculture.
Tiukinhoy said they have been sourcing their meat from countries like Canada, Spain, the United States, Europe, the Netherlands, Brazil and France which have not been affected by the ASF. (JOB)