Cebu Province bans pork, by-products from Davao

PORK products and by-products from Davao Region are now banned from entering Cebu until June 30, 2020, as part of the Provincial Government’s intensified measures against the African swine fever (ASF).

The move came after samples drawn from around 1,000 dead pigs in Don Marcelino town, Davao Occidental, tested positive for ASF, the first confirmed cases of the hog disease in Mindanao.

The pigs came from barangays Lindasan, North Lamidan, South Lamidan, Calian, Mabuhay, Lawa, Nueva Villa, and Baluntayan in the town.

On Monday, Feb. 3, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia issued Executive Order (EO) 4, Series of 2020, which prohibits the entry into the province of pork, boar semen, pork-related products and by-products from Region 11.

It also bans bringing into Cebu Province any and all kinds of meat (chicken, beef or fish) and any kind of food product that has been stored in the same cold storage facility as pork, pork-related products and by-products sourced from Davao Region.

In an interview, Provincial Veterinarian Mary Rose Vincoy said local pork producers have stopped buying hogs from Davao Region since Feb. 2.

“Considering that they were an ASF-free zone before, our local producers had been importing hogs from them. But with this development, our local producers decided to stop importing for now,” she said.

Vincoy said Mindanao is a crucial area, especially with General Santos City housing several commercial hog farms and the Province of Bukidnon being a top swine breeding area.

In a related development, the Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 said it is mapping out a consolidated plan of action against ASF with the four head veterinarians of the provinces of Central Visayas.

DA 7 Director Salvador Diputado said they agreed that in case there is an outbreak in any of the provinces, the other provinces would help contain it.

“We are going to support each province so that we can prove to the other regions that we can overcome the problem of ASF,” he told SunStar Cebu.

The DA 7 said there is still no outbreak in the region.

“What we’re asking from the local government units is that they strengthen their guard against the entry of pork and pork-related products like tocino, hotdog and the like,” Diputado said.

He also urged hog producers to immediately report any signs of ASF outbreak.

“We shouldn’t think of our individual profit since the future of the whole hog industry in the region is at stake here,” he said.

He earlier urged all local government units to shortcut the issuance of resolutions, meaning LGUs should create these ahead but these will not be activated unless the ASF is already there.

“So we can arrest and activate measures to contain ASF,” he said.

Diputado also assured there is a standby fund under the quick response fund as approved by DA Secretary William Dar.

“It means that those backyard farmers whose hogs will be culled will be reimbursed,” he said in an earlier interview. (RTF, JOB)

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