Over 700 kg of Chinese meat products intercepted in Aklan

Around 730 kilograms of assorted meat products from a Chinese brand were intercepted by authorities at the Caticlan Jetty Port in Aklan province.

The Office of the Provincial Veterinarian of Aklan on April 24, 2021 confiscated 28 boxes of assorted meat products with an estimated value of P300,000.

According to Aklan Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Maribel Sinel, the intercepted meat products were from Parañaque, Manila and were shipped via a roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) vessel. The products were supposedly bound to Roxas City in Capiz.

“The apprehended meat products from Manila had an estimated value of P300,000 and are supposed to be brought to Capiz,” Sinel said in a statement last Monday.

The shipment lacked pertinent documents and certification from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other agencies.

The confiscated items were later burned.

The province Aklan including other areas in Western Visayas have banned the entry of live hogs, pork meat, and other processed pork products from areas with confirmed cases of African Swine Fever (ASF).

The Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas has also intensified its campaign to prevent the entry of ASF in the region following threats from neighboring provinces.

Currently, while the region has maintained its ASF-free status, authorities have appealed to the public to remain vigilant and to report death incidents of hogs to their respective authorities.

Online selling of meat products is also strongly discouraged. (ERS)