Tight watch on ports vs pork from Iloilo

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – An estimated P20,000 worth of pork meat products were confiscated at the BREDCO port during the weekend as the Provincial African Swine Fever (ASF) Task Force continues to tighten its watch against such items especially at the Banago and BREDCO ports here.

Dr. Placeda Lemana, OIC-provincial veterinarian, told reporters  on Monday that a team from Bacolod City will augment the ASF provincial task force in implementing the ban on pork and pork products from Iloilo province.

A team was also deployed to Brgy Sum-ag here, Lemana added.

Earlier, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson  issued two memorandums ordering a ban on the entry of pork and pork byproducts originating from Panay and Guimaras.

This, after the town of Oton in Iloilo reported the first ASF case last week.

Based on a copy of the memorandums, Lacson pointed out that ASF poses a great threat to Negros Occidental, being one of the major producers and gateway of live pigs being supplied to Luzon, Central and Eastern Visayas.

As part of Provincial Ordinance No. 2012-024 (ASF Prevention Ordinance of Negros Occidental), Lacson ordered the Provincial Veterinary Office’s (PVO) Provincial ASF Task Force to ban the entry of all pigs, pork, pork byproducts from the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, Aklan and Guimaras.

Lacson also ordered the task force to conduct rigid and stringent screening and inspection of incoming shipments of live animals and pork products.

The task force is also ordered to conduct checkpoints to intercept and control the movement of live animals, pork, and pork byproducts entering the province and confiscate any undocumented shipments.

All transport carriers, upon arrival at the province’s seaports, must undergo mandatory and regular disinfection.

Meanwhile, Lemana said that despite  the ban on pork products from Panay Island and Guimaras there is a stable supply  of live pigs and pork meat in the province.

She further said that for almost three years now, the province has been banning the entry of live pigs, pork and other byproducts from Luzon and Mindanao.

Currently, only pigs and pork products from Cebu and Negros Oriental are allowed to enter the province, Lemana added.