777 kilos of pork products seized at Bacolod port

MEMBERS of the Provincial Task Force on African Swine Fever (ASF), along with personnel of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and Philippine Coast Guard, seized about 777 kilograms of assorted pork products at the Bredco Port in Bacolod City on Wednesday, September 25.

The products worth at least P200,000 shipped via M/V St. Therese of the Child Jesus were confiscated by virtue of the existing 90-day ban among pork products coming from Luzon.

The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) reported that based on the document presented, the shipment contains imported pork that were processed in Luzon.

These included tocino, chorizo, bacon, pork liver, ham, pork leg, Schublig and Hungarian sausages owned by MKKS Food Industry from Cainta town in Rizal province.

It was supposed to be delivered in Bacolod City, the PVO said, adding that the seized products were shipped back to the port of origin as a form of sanction.

“Since Rizal is one of the provinces in Luzon affected by ASF virus as per Department of Agriculture (DA), the task force is strictly implementing the ban,” it stressed.

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who chairs the task force, earlier issued Executive Order No. 19-40 Series of 2019 temporarily banning pork products coming from Luzon.

The ban is among the measures to ensure the safety of the P6-billion swine industry of Negros Occidental, one of the top producers of swine in the country.

It was implemented days after the DA confirmed positive cases of ASF in Luzon, particularly in farms of Rizal and Bulacan.

Effective starting September 18, the ban covers live pigs, pork, pork products and by-products from Luzon whether fresh, processed or canned which can carry the ASF virus.

The PVO said it will write the concerned shipping lines to remind them not to allow its passengers or crew to bring prohibited items in the province within the ban period.

It can be recalled that on September 21, around 27 kilograms of pork asado siopao from Luzon were also confiscated by members of the Provincial Task Force on ASF at Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City.

The provincial government, through the PVO, is strictly implementing the ASF prevention and control measures through conducting simultaneous activities like information education campaign, seminars on awareness, preparedness and response in case of outbreak.

It is also enhancing the biosecurity practices in all swine production facilities in the province.

“Seeing the urgent need to protect the swine population and the entire local industry, there is a need to strengthen the quarantine measures in all ports of entry,” it added.

The provincial government, on the other hand, reassured the consuming public that it is still safe to eat pork as the PVO, National Meat Inspection Service and local government units regularly monitor the quality of meat sold among local markets.

Also, the PVO’s Feed and Meet Laboratory personnel are collecting random meat samples in various district markets to monitor hygienic handling of meat.