DAVAO CITY –– In yet another measure by a local government against the African swine fever (ASF), Mati City in Davao Oriental has banned the entry of fresh and processed pork unless these are transported via refrigerated meat delivery trucks.
This was among the measures that the city’s Bantay Karne Task Force adopted during its first meeting on Tuesday to prevent the entry of the ASF virus in Davao Oriental, according to city veterinarian Marites Erispe.
Erispe said the city would no longer allow the entry of meat products by bus, vans and other vehicles except for refrigerated meat delivery trucks.
She added that the Task Force has set up more checkpoints to strictly screen all meat products entering the city.
“All those (meat products) which fail (to meet) the strict screening (standard) would be confiscated,” Erispe said.
Erispe explained that the strict meat inspection would ensure that the ASF virus would not enter the city and infect the local swine industry.
Mati Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat earlier created TF Bantay Karne, led by the City Veterinary Office, to draw up measures to protect the city against the possible spread of the ASF virus.
Mati City’s veterinary team also made farm visits to ensure that backyard piggeries were clean. They collected blood samples from pigs and goats for disease surveillance in selected barangays.
On Tuesday, authorities appealed to hog raisers to avoid swill-feeding.
On Monday, Agriculture Secretary William Dar appealed to local governments to await guidelines from the department on how to deal with the ASF problem and not unduly imposing bans on the entry of pork and pork products in their respective localities./lzb