THE CITY government is closely monitoring the seaports, airport, and border highways for the possible entry of unauthorized imported pork and other related products.
Dr. Antonio Ephrem Marin, head of the City Veterinary Office (CVO), said Tuesday the move is in line with the full implementation of an executive order (EO) issued by City Mayor Ronnel Rivera that regulates the entry and selling of imported pork and pork-related products into the area.
He said the order bans shipments from countries with cases of African swine fever (ASF) and requires importers to secure entry permits from their office and the submission of necessary documents.
These include the veterinary health certificate, landing and shipping permits, packing list with load plan, and “negative laboratory test results of different swine diseases per product style.”
“This is mainly to keep our city ASF-free and protect our markets as well from unregulated products,” Marin told reporters.
Under EO No. 27, which was signed by the mayor last June 5, he said refrigerated container vans carrying imported pork and other related products that have passed ASF-infected countries will not be allowed entry into the city.
Other meat products “comingled” with imported pork or shipped from such areas in one container van or storage facility are also prohibited, he said.
Upon arrival, the official said all imported pork shipments should undergo real-time polymerase chain reaction testing for ASF through the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory-12 before their release.
He said all undeclared and unauthorized imported pork products entering the city's ports and borders would be confiscated and subsequently destroyed.
Marin said imported pork traders and vendors should also secure permits from the concerned local government offices, and their products should undergo screening by deputized meat inspectors.
Aside from the outright confiscation and destruction of unauthorized products, owners or consignees will face a fine of PHP3,000 for the first offense, PHP5,000 for the second and third offenses as well as the possible revocation of business license or permit.
The city, currently considered as the country’s top hog producer, remains under the “green zone” or ASF-free area based on the DA’s monitoring.
The area has a listed commercial population of 16,000 sows that is able to produce over 20,000 hogs per month, with around 13,000 shipped to other regions, including Metro Manila. ( Richelyn Gubalani)
