Aklan imposes 90-day ban on live pigs, pork products

AKLAN, Philippines – The provincial government of Aklan has imposed a 90-day temporary ban on the entry of live hogs and processed pork-related products coming from Luzon and countries affected by African swine fever (ASF). 

Aklan governor Florencio Miraflores issued Executive Order 46 enforcing strict measures to protect the swine industry and food security of the province in the wake of rising ASF cases in Luzon. The ban took effect on September 27.

Aside from Aklan, the following provinces and cities have also declared their respective pork blockades: 

• Bohol
• Cebu City
• Cebu province
• Davao City
• Iloilo
• Mandaue City
• Misamis Oriental  
• Negros Occidental

In the main island of Luzon, Pampanga sealed its borders to prevent the entry of live hogs and all forms of pork products from neighboring provinces.

To date, the Department of Agriculture has detected ASF infections in the provinces of Rizal and Bulacan,  and in 3 barangays in Quezon City. 

Miraflores ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct random inspections of vans, buses and other vehicles for live domestic and wild pigs, and pork meat products in check points and quarantine sites.

Full or random inspections on passenger luggages in airports, seaports and borders are conducted also by Bureau of Animal Industry and veterinary quarantine officers and inspectors. 

ASF monitoring by authorities is also heightened in Kalibo International Airport in Kalibo, Aklan, owing to direct flights to South Korea, China and other countries affected by ASF. Last September 18, a total of 158 kilos of confiscated meat and meat products in Kalibo airport were condemned in a disposal site in Tina, Makato.

Caticlan jetty port in Malay, Aklan, a major nautical highway of transhipment from Luzon provinces, is also under strict monitoring by quarantine inspectors.

Recently, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in Southeast Asia, and Mongolia, Hong Kong, China, South Korea and North Korea in East Asia have reported cases of ASF.

In EO 46, the transport of pork products and pigs passing through or intended for the province of Aklan with or without shipping documents will be returned to origin. Items will be confiscated or condemned if the shipper/consignee failed to re-ship within 24 to 48 hours.

The governor also ordered all local backyard and commercial hog raisers to stop feeding kitchen leftovers from hotels, resorts, maritime vessel shipping companies, large and small scale fishing vessels docking in the ports of Aklan.

Restaurants in the province were also told to refrain from giving kitchen leftovers to hog producers.

All mayors and barangay officials are encouraged to activate their ‘bantay-dagat’ personnel in coordination with Philippine Coast Guard to apprehend smugglers of live hogs and pork-related products. – Rappler.com