Confiscated pork meat products in Cebu City due to the ban of imported products in ASF-hit countries. | Dyrecka Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) has confiscated 64.5 kilos of imported meat from different supermarkets, convenience stores, and foreign stores in the city.
DVMF Officer-in-charge, Doctor Jessica Maribojoc, said that the city government has always been strict in ensuring that that imported pork products displayed in markets or stores in the city are from countries that are African Swine Fever (ASF)-free.
As the DMVF intensified their monitoring on June 2021, they found over 300 kilos of imported pork products that have been displayed in stores. These pork products have been incinerated.
The additional 64.5 kilos will also be incinerated as they cannot be disposed of by burial due to their plastic, aluminum, or can packaging.
“Gikan ni sila sa China, South Korea, sa Vietnam, ug Indonesia. Kana sila nga mga countries positive na sila sa ASF. So dapat dili gyod na sila madisplay para makaon sa consumer,” said Maribojoc.
Although ASF does not affect humans, it is detrimental to the hog industry because once ASF enters a particular locality, it spreads fast killing hogs in just a few days, thereby affecting the multimillion hog industry in Cebu.
ASF would even affect the ground where infected pigs are buried for up to 3 years and this can affect generations after generations of hogs.
“If mangamatay atong mga baboy, moubos atong supply. Kung moubos atong supply, nya taas kaayo atong demand, mosaka ang price. So kailangan protektahan gyod nato atong mga baboy,” said Maribojoc.
Maribojoc urged consumers to be on the lookout for these meat products as they should not be sold in any store in the city, nor should they be distributed for any form of consumption.
The DVMF urges the public to report stores selling these products so the DVMF can immediately confiscate them.
They also warned the stores not to sell these banned products or else they will be penalized with up to a P5,000 fine. /rcg
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