China Pork Caused ASF Outbreak In PH Says DA
CHINA PORK – The Department of Agriculture said that smuggled pork from China was the cause of the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Philippines.
In October, there were illegal shipments that came in from China. These shipments were declared to be vermicelli and tomato paste.
However, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said that those items were found to be pork products ridden with ASF. He added that the food waste from hotels, restaurants, and airlines were dumped in Rodriguez, Rizal.
Afterward, he said that there were people who collect those food wastes to be fed to pigs. This was the start of the outbreak, said Agriculture Secretary Dar.
Due to this incident, the Agriculture Secretary coordinated with the Manila City government and the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). They are planning to crack down on the people behind the shipment.
The DA is also coming up with an ASF zoning plan. This is aimed at preventing the spread of the disease.
Based on a report from ABS-CBN, the Cordillera Administrative will be made into surveillance zones. Along with it, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol, and Calabarzon.
Dr. Reildrin Morales, the task force on swine diseases director said that Visayas and Mindanao are declared as free zones. Here, meat products could be sent anywhere.
Adding to this, areas that were marked as infected zones would have limited access to pork products. This is due to some processed pork products already being found positive with the virus.
A batch of frozen siomai from Antipolo City in Rizal was found positive for African Swine Fever. Reports said that the frozen siomai was retrieved from a store.
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