Lechon is a favorite food to enjoy in Cebu. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia assured that lechon (roasted pig in English) in Carcar City is safe for human consumption.
The governor made this statement after the city government of Carcar noted a drop in the sales of lechon and chicharron, two of their most popular delicacies, due to threats of the African Swine Fever (ASF) there.
“May I repeat this to all Cebuanos, you can eat it (lechon)… Kung way lami, ayaw lang kan-a,” Garcia told reporters during a recent press conference. (If it doesn’t taste good, then don’t eat it.)
However, the governor stressed that pork products and leftovers must not end up in a pig’s food bowl as the Capitol continues to prohibit swill feeding.
“(As long as there will be no) no swill feeding… That’s non-negotiable. That is the only way that a pig can be infected, when he eats infected meat,” Garcia added.
Last March 1, 2023, authorities confirmed the presence of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Carcar City which led Cebu province to lose its ASF-free status.
However, Garcia expressed doubts about the findings, and even questioned how laboratory tests were conducted on the samples where the ASF virus reportedly came from.
The governor believed that the infected samples, sourced from a slaughterhouse in Carcar City, may only be a mild case of classic swine cholera.
Nevertheless, the provincial government implemented several measures to keep the deadly disease from spreading to nearby localities.
These included banning swill feeding or feeding hogs with leftover food, regular disinfection of pig farms, and prohibiting the export of raw meat and live pigs outside Carcar City.
Garcia also reiterated that exporting processed and cooked pork products from ASF-afflicted areas is still allowed.
“It’s a national policy. They are allowing sausages, chicharron, the processed food. But this is also cooked,” she said.
An Administrative Circular from the Department of Agriculture (DA) issued in 2022 stated that ‘processed meat products from (infected zones) which have been subjected to a temperature of at least 70 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes such as but not limited to hotdogs, ham, chicharron, lechon, and other canned pork products can be moved across all colored zones.’
/bmjo
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