221 kilograms of pork meat and pork products shipped without the required veterinary certificate has been seized in various locations in the Zamboanga peninsula by the Veterinary Quarantine Service of the Bureau of Animal Industry-9 (BAI-9).
The BAI has implemented a ban on the transport of live hogs, pork meat and propk products as safety precautionary measures to protect the city against the spread of the African swine fever (ASF), which has already infected the hog industry in various areas in the country.
92 of the 221 kilograms of pork meat and pork products were confiscated from arriving passengers at the Zamboanga International Airport, according to Dr. Jose Leo Galicia, BAI regional veterinary officer.
The confiscated products include processed meat like chorizo, longaniza and way meat (tapa) that originated from Manila and Davao City.
The other 129 kilograms of processed meat, including roasted pig, were sequestered in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte.
Dapitan and Dipolog Cities, which are entry points of commercial boats from Cebu and Dumaguete, reported the most number of confiscated meat.
Tight restrictions are being implemented in boundary checkpoints on the national highways of Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte to stop the influx of ASF into the region, Galicia added. (RJ Espartinez)