PB backs pork ban extension

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial Board has expressed its support to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s extended ban on pork and pork-related products from Luzon and the 21 infected by the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus.

“The 480-day extension of the ban would be the very and only tool to maintain the province’s safety and security not only to the consuming public but also the big and small hog owners and breeders that could be badly bruised if not maimed should the onslaught of the virus reach the shores of the province,” the resolution approved by the board yesterday.

The resolution was authored by ex-officio Board Member Francis Salimbangon.

Last November 4, Garcia declared extension on the ban on live hogs, boar semen, pork and other pork-related products from Luzon and infected countries to June 30, 2020.

This development came after news broke on the processed pork products from Luzon that tested positive for ASF.

The ban now also includes commingled meat or meat that have been stored in the same spaces as pork in infected areas. This, Garcia reasoned, is because although humans and other animals apart from swine are immune to the virus, they can still be carriers.

Cebu's pork industry is currently valued at P11 billion, with 85 percent of the province’s pork demand being supplied by local hog raisers.  JMD (FREEMAN)