BACOLOD City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has requested tight monitoring of imported pork and pork products entering the city through ports as these might be from countries affected by the African swine fever.
The SP sent the request to the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Quarantine, National Meat Inspection Service, City Veterinary Office, and the City Health Office.
It ordered to prevent the entry of contaminated pork in Bacolod, which could cause “havoc in our local swine industry.”
The African swine fever does not harm humans but is deadly to pigs. The disease has no known cure.
Just this week, China ordered to cull 916,000 pigs after around 100 outbreaks of the African swine fever were reported in the country.
Councilor Bartolome Orola, chairman of the SP committee on markets and slaughterhouses, said strict monitoring and control of pork and pork products in city ports should be set in place.
He also encouraged Bacolodnons to patronize locally produced meat products for the meantime.
The Department of Agriculture has already imposed strict quarantine protocols on pork and pork products from at least eight countries – Belgium, China, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine./PN
