ASF scares away pork consumers in Mandaue as city bans entry of pork and pork products from infected areas

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MANDAUE CITY, Philippines – Some pork vendors at the Mandaue City Public Market said they have experienced a drop in sales after the detection of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Carcar City.

Pork vendor Josephine Domitita said that she can usually sell eight pigs a day but can now only sell seven.

Liza Tabanera another vendor, said that two pigs weighing over 60 kilograms were usually sold out as early as 10 a.m but currently, only 1 and a half pigs were being disposed of during that time.

They said that some customers were scared and no longer buy pork after the detection of ASF in Carcar City which was announced on Monday, March 6.

Dr. Daniel Ventura, ASF Coordinator of the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas said on Tuesday, March 7, that ASF does not transmit to humans even if they eat contaminated pork.

“Nothing to worry sa mga tawo kapag nakakain sila nang baboy na may ASF, yun kasi yung pananaw nang iba, hindi naman nakakasira ng katawan. Ang risk doon ay mapunta ang karne sa baboy swill feeding, pagpagkain mo nang lamaw, yun yung contamination kaya ang sakit kumakalat (sa ibang baboy),” said Ventura.

Dr. Karen Merilles said that pork is inspected before vendors can sell it to the city public market.

Merilles said these also have certificates from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). Vendors are encouraged to ask for the certificate before buying pork from their sources.

Moreover, she said that Mandaue City remains to be free from ASF and belongs to the green zone or safe from the disease.

Mandaue bans entry of pork and pork products from infected areas

Mayor Jonas Cortes also released an executive order temporarily banning the entry of pork and pork products from infected zones and pink buffer zone areas of the province into the city effective on Wednesday, March 8.

Mandaue City remains free from ASF and is under the Free Zone.

Temporarily prohibited to enter the city were live hogs, sows, piglets, boar semen hogs, pork, and pork by-products. It will be banned for thirty (30) days.

Based on the ASF status of the different localities in Cebu as of March 6 posted by the Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries on their Facebook page, only Carcar City is under the red zone (infected zone) while Barili, Sibonga, Aloguinsan, San Fernando are under the pink buffer zone.     /rcg

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