TO BE RETURNED. A member of the Provincial African Swine Fever (ASF) Task Force prepares the pork products that arrived at the Bacolod Bredco Port on Wednesday (Sept. 25, 2019) to be shipped back to Manila. Negros Occidental has banned the entry of pork and its by-products from Luzon for 90 days starting September 11. (Photo courtesy of NegOcc Provincial ASF Task Force)
BACOLOD CITY -- Hundreds of kilograms of pork products that arrived at the Bacolod-Silay Airport and Bredco Port have been shipped back to Manila by the quarantine team of the Negros Occidental Provincial African Swine Fever (ASF) Task Force amid the 90-day ban on pork from Luzon.
On Thursday, the task force posted on its Facebook page photos of misdeclared items, including pork products that arrived at the airport and were sent back with the consent of the shipper.
The day before, the team also seized some 777 kg. of pork products, such as chorizo, tocino, ham, bacon, sausages, pork liver, and pork leg manufactured by MKKS Food Industry in Cainta, Rizal at the seaport in the Bacolod Reclamation Area. The shipment was immediately returned to its port of origin.
The products, amounting to at least PHP200,000, were shipped via M/V St. Therese of the Child Jesus.
Based on the document presented, the shipment contained imported pork processed in Luzon.
Negros Occidental, the country’s number one backyard swine producer, has banned since September 11 the entry of pork and its by-products from Luzon, which has reported positive cases of ASF.
Task force personnel, including staff of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), Bureau of Animal Industry, and Philippine Coast Guard, have intensified monitoring of the arrival of food product shipments to ensure that the ban is enforced.
Dr. Ryan Janoya, head of the PVO Animal Health and Meat Inspection Services Division, said earlier they can ship back the banned products if the consignee decides not to dispose of the shipment after its arrival.
Last Saturday, the task force also seized at least 27 kg. of pork asado siopao from Luzon that arrived at the airport.
The 34 packs of siopao, which were shipped via cargo, were part of the 175 kg. of various products sent to a food cart operator in the province.
The confiscated products were immediately burned since the consignee chose to let the task force personnel dispose of the items.
Negros Occidental, which has a PHP6 billion swine industry, remains ASF-free, but the PVO stressed the need for the province to be proactive in protecting its swine production.
Provincial veterinarian Renante Decena, co-chair of the Provincial Task Force on ASF, urged Negrenses, especially travelers, to cooperate and report the possible entry of pork products from Luzon. (PNA)
