Pork ban in Cebu Province extended

CEBU, Philippines — Describing the spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus in Luzon as reaching “alarming proportions,” Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has extended to 2020 the ban on all pork and pork-related products from Luzon and 21 ASF-affected countries.

Garcia said the ban will be in place until June 30, 2020 and will cover live hogs, boar semen, and all frozen and processed pork products from Luzon and the rest of the countries infected by the ASF virus.

“As Governor of Cebu tasked with the duty to protect the Province of Cebu, the inhabitants of the Province of Cebu, and our 11 billion peso hog industry, I have decided to extend the total ban from all pork and all pork-related products coming not only from the ASF infected countries but coming also from Luzon until June 30 of 2020,” Garcia announced yesterday.

“It is what prudence dictates and in this particular case, we cannot have an overabundance of caution,” she said.

Garcia said she decided on extension after careful evaluation of the recent updates on the spread of the ASF virus and upon consultation with Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Mary Rose Vincoy.

According to the governor, Vincoy even proposed to extend the ban for a longer period but she decided on the 480-day extension, for now, as it can be extended again, anyway, if the spread of the virus will not be contained by the first half of 2020.

Garcia assured that the ban will be lifted once authorities can assure the virus has been contained.

“If we see an improvement in the situation… and we are assured that… the virus has been completely contained, that measures have been undertaken to ensure that the spread of the virus through carriers shall be avoided then we could of course lift the ban,” she said.

Garcia said the latest news on pork products of Mekeni Food Corporation testing positive of the virus is another manifestation that the threat of ASF is real and deserving of thorough preventive measures.

“As it is, ASF is a clear and present danger to the entire country,” Garcia said.

Executive Order No. 16, which orders the initial 100-day ban on pork and pork products from the infected areas, will be amended accordingly.

Meanwhile, Garcia said there has been a notable drop in the demand for pork in the province since news of the ASF broke out.

“As of now, it is not even a question of supply, it is a question of lowered demand,” she said.

On October 26, Mekeni Food Corporation recalled all its pork-based products amid reports that some of them tested positive for ASF.

“This is to ensure that we mitigate the possibility that our products inadvertently become carriers of ASF,” Mekeni said in their statement.

On Monday, however, the Bureau of Animal Industry confirmed that skinless longganisa and hotdog samples from the plant of Mekeni Food Corporation tested positive for African swine fever.

The bureau said that their two validation tests were conducted upon the request of the manufacturer. They also revealed that other samples from the plant, particularly those sourced from the US, Canada and France, tested negative for ASF.

According to the World Organization for Animal Health, while ASF is contagious to pigs, it has no adverse effects on human health. (FREEMAN)