Local groups like the Samahang Industrya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) oppose the order of Interior and Local Secretary Eduardo Año to exclude processed meat from the ban which Local Government Units in the Visayas and Mindanao have imposed on pork and porks products from Luzon. | INQUIRER.NET Photo
CEBU CITY–The Samahang Industrya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) wanted the ban of pork and pork products from Luzon to stay.
At the same time, the group is asking for a testing of locally processed products to make sure that these have not been infected by the African Swine Fever (ASF).
SINAG Chairman Rosendo So issued the statement following the order of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año directing Local Government Units to exclude processed pork products from Luzon from the ban.
“We never complained of these bans as we want to protect regions and areas that are ASF-free,” So said in an interview with CDN Digital.
Ano issued a memorandum circular on Tuesday, October 15, to exclude proceed meat from the ban imposed by LGUs in the Visayas and Mindanao amid fears of an ASF outbreak.
The DILG director issued the circular following a strong lobby by the Philippine Association of Meat Processors (PAMPI) against the ban imposed by LGUs that is said to be hurting the industry and may even result to a shortage of supply in the Visayas and Mindanao.
So expressed concern over the issuance of the DILG order in a letter which he sent Año on Tuesday, October 15.
In a press statement, SINAG said that Año’s order would “run counter to the efforts that were put in place by several local government units like Bohol and Cebu in the Visayas and Davao City in Mindanao to protect local high industries from the global outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF).”
So said that “there have been several incidences that confirmed the contamination of processed pork (from Luzon).”
He said that in a recent meeting, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez asked PAMPI president Felix Tiukinhoy Jr. if he could guarantee that their processed meat products have not been infected with the ASF virus.
He said that Tiukinhoy told the secretary that PAMPI cannot be held accountable for violations committed by its members.
CDN Digital tried but failed to reach Tiukinhoy for comment.
To protect the local industry, So is calling for testing of locally processed meat products to make sure that these have remained ASF-free.
If the ASF would find its way into Cebu’s meat industry, this will gravely affected the hog raisers and allied industries, he said.
“Millions of backyard hog raisers, rice growers, corn farmers, coconut tillers and sugar workers, viajeros, market vendors, sales agents and workers across the veterinary and feed milling industry rely on the hog industry,” So said.
As of Tuesday, farmgate prices of backyard hog raisers have dropped to P70 to 80 per kilo or close to 40 percent drop from its pre-ASF level of P110 to 115 per kilo.
“A P30 per kilo drop in live weight prices would mean a loss of P2,250 per head. Per sow level, this would mean a loss of P3,825. Actual losses for a month is about P48.57 billion,” said So.
Worst, the demand for pork also dropped by around 20 percent to 30 percent.
“The hemorrhage to the industry of the ASF is real, catastrophic and in billions of pesos. And yet, we support the decision of Visayas and Mindanao LGUs to ban the entry of our products to their region to ensure that Visayas and Mindanao remain ASF-free,” So added.
So said that SINAG is hoping that Secretary Ano would reconsider his decision to issue the memorandum circular. / dcb