About 41 kilograms of pork and other meat products, including those from Luzon, were seized by teams led by the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) in Negros Occidental this week.
Dr. Ryan Janoya, head of PVO Animal Health and Meat Inspection Services Division, said on Friday that pork supplies from provinces in Luzon brought to Negros Occidental are still covered by the 90-day ban in the province.
Some 15 kilograms of pork sausages from Pampanga arrived at the Bacolod-Silay Airport on Thursday. These were shipped by a resident of Talisay City for personal consumption.
Janoya said the pork products were sent back to its point of origin.
On Tuesday, members of the Provincial Task Force on African swine fever (ASF) confiscated 12 kilograms of assorted pork products also at the airport.
The processed food items included siomai and “sisig” transported from Quezon City sent for delivery to a food stall in Bago City. Janoya said the items, shipped along with fish products, are considered misdeclared and immediately disposed of at the airport.
“The shipment had no permits, specifically as pork products, and it also does not comply with the existing ban,” he added.
Last Sunday, a total of 12.7 kilograms of mishandled meat products were confiscated from a stall at the public market of Cadiz City.
Janoya said the vendor violated the guidelines on proper display of imported meat products.
These frozen products are prone to microorganisms and bacterial contamination especially at higher temperature, he added.
For almost a month now, the provincial government has been enforcing a 90-day ban on pork coming from Luzon, based on Executive Order 19-40 signed by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on 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.
Negros Occidental, the country’s number one backyard swine producer, has a PHP6-billion swine industry. (Erwin Nicavera pna via ndb)