INTERCEPTED. Processed pork products from Cebu City, intercepted at the port of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental last week of March, were disposed of by inspectors. From April 1 to 10, at least PHP1.3 million worth of banned pork products have either been shipped back or disposed of, data from the Provincial Veterinary Office showed. (File photo courtesy of BAI-Veterinary Quarantine Station 6)
BACOLOD CITY – Some PHP1.3 million worth of banned pork products that arrived at various points of entry in Negros Occidental province have either been shipped back or disposed of by quarantine inspectors from April 1 to 10, a report of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) on Wednesday showed.
Dr. Placeda Lemana, acting provincial veterinarian, said some items lacked proper documents while the rest were not allowed entry due to the existing pork ban.
“Processed food products are prohibited that’s why we had these shipped back,” she told reporters.
During the period, some 9.52 kilograms of pork products and 37,680 packs of processed pork items from the neighboring Cebu province, with an estimated value of PHP1.2 million, were all sent back to their ports of origin.
About PHP100,246 worth of pork products were also seized and disposed of immediately.
These included 178.5 kilograms of various pork items, of which 106.5 kilograms were confiscated at the Bredco port here.
Lemana said that on April 2, a whole lechon (roast pig) was intercepted in the same port and immediately burned.
Starting March 7, Negros Occidental and this capital city prohibited the entry of all pigs and pork products from Cebu province, including the islands of Bantayan and Camotes, after the African swine fever (ASF) virus has been detected in Carcar City.
Canned meat products from Cebu, however, have already been allowed entry into Negros Occidental since it has been proven that the ASF virus is not transmitted through canned goods.
Still covered by the ban are the entry of all live pigs, boar semen, pork, pork products and other pork-related items from Luzon, Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Panay Island and Guimaras Island, which have confirmed ASF cases from 2019 to 2022.
Negros Occidental, which has a PHP6-billion swine industry, is categorized as a dark green zone or ASF-free by the Department of Agriculture. (PNA)
