Philippines implements new measures vs swine fever

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is intensifying measures to contain the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF), which may endanger the local hog industry.

In a memorandum order issued recently, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the department has employed and is tightening measures against ASF apart from banning pork and other pork-based products from affected countries.

Experts describe ASF as a “contagious, untreatable and often fatal virus sweeping the global pig population – and future mutations could affect humans.”

ASF is a highly contagious hemorrhagic disease of pigs, warthogs, European wild boar and American wild pigs. Mortality rates are as high as 100 percent.

“While the country has taken steps to address the newest threat to livestock and poultry as early as August of this year, we will be implementing more stringent measures to close the country’s borders temporarily to pork and pork-based products from some countries as reports indicated that the dreaded disease is spreading, especially in China,” Piñol said.

“The Philippines zealously guards its status as a hog disease-free country and that status if protected properly could benefit our farmers and the country as well,” he added.

Pork import ban is still in effect for 13 countries – Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Moldova, South Africa, Zambia, Belgium, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary and China.

The DA said there will be mandatory inspection, in coordination with other concerned agencies, of all vessels docking in Philippine ports with meat supplies and fishing boats returning from the West Philippine Sea because of reports of bartering of sea products with imported meat.

A close coordination by the DA-Bureau of Animal Industry with the Bureau of Customs at all international air and sea ports for the conduct of rigid inspection for the checked in and hand-carried luggage of all incoming passengers from ASF-affected countries will also be implemented.

Authorities will confiscate and destroy all pork products coming from ASF-affected countries within 24 hours after interception.

Establishment of foot baths in all entry points of the country, including those arriving via cruise ships, is also being readied.

“I call on the stakeholders of the hog sector to volunteer as deputized quarantine officers so that we will be able to implement the safeguards to protect the industry which is the source of livelihood of millions of Filipino farmers,” Piñol said.