ILOILO City – To protect this city from the African swine fever (ASF), the City Veterinary Office is recommending a permanent or an extension of the 90-day ban on pork and pork products from Luzon and ASF-affected countries.
The city government ordered a three-month temporary ban on live pigs, hog carcasses, pork, pork products, and by-products from ASF-affected areas in October.
“We will recommend to the Sangguniang Panlungsod to make permanent the ban, or extend it. This needs an ordinance,” said Dr. Tomas Forteza, city veterinarian.
ASF causes high fever, loss of appetite, hemorrhages, and death among domestic and wild pigs, thus it is a threat primarily to the hog industry, then to industries that deal with pork. It also threatens food security.
There is no known vaccine against ASF but it does not pose a health risk to humans.
Forteza said the city government also formed in October a task force on ASF to, among others, inspect markets and secure the city’s entry points from the possible entry of pork from ASF-hit areas.
The task force has over 40 personnel. Forteza also said its operation is estimated to cost P1 million every quarter.
“We looked if worth bala ang P1 million…and we feel that it is very important,” said Forteza.
In fact, he said, Iloilo City remains ASF-free.
In proposing the permanent ban, Forteza pointed out that city remains sufficient in pork produced locally or sourced from Mindanao and Cebu.
But he did not discount the possibility that some pork and pork products from Mindanao and Cebu may actually be from Luzon.
The Food and Drug Administration should investigate this, he stressed.
In ordering a 90-day ban in October, Mayor Jerry Treñas said ASF reaching this city is possible. Iloilo City is a major entry/exit point of inter-regional conveyance through the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo and Iloilo International Port in Barangay Loboc, Lapuz district.
Iloilo City, according to Treñas, is No. 3 in terms of frequency of ship calls annually (11,853), No. 4 in cargo (491,719 metric tons) and No. 4 in passenger traffic (2.4 million).
“There is an urgent need to adopt preventive measures to protect the hog industry of Region 6,” stressed Treñas./PN
