The team of City Veterianarian Office, confiscated 63 kilos of processed pork meat from an arriving passenger at the Zamboanga International Airport coming from Davao City.
Dr. Mario Ariola, City Veterinarian claimed the processed pork meat such as tocino and chorizo were seized from the passenger coming from Davao City, a place with case of African Swine Fever (ASF).
Ariola said, the processed meat did not have proper papers, prompting alert authorities assigned at the Zamboanga International Airport to immediately seize it and dispose by burying within the airport compound.
He further reiterated that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has already banned the entry of pork meat from Davao region due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) that hit the region. Thousand of hogs in the said region were already slaughtered by DA and provincial government.
The Department of Agriculture imposed a 60-day ban of pork products from Davao, including other cities and provinces to deter possible entry of ASF in Zamboanga Peninsula.
Ariola however disclosed that the hog traders in Zamboanga City can still buy pigs and other pork products from the nearby provinces of Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte, Bukidnon, and Cagayan de Oro City since these places are still ASF-free.
Nevertheless, animals bought from these areas, should have the required veterinary certificates and shipping permits.
The City Veterinary Office and DA have placed checkpoints both in east and west coast of the city to check the entry of pork products coming from the provinces.