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Pork still safe to eat, hog raisers say amid ASF outbreak

Article (news)

Jervis Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1724236562697asf.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Members of the local hog industry, allied sectors, and the Quezon City government sought to allay fears about eating pork during a press conference in Quezon City on August 21, 2024, amid the recent outbreak of African Swine Fever in parts of Batangas. The Quezon City LGU assured the public that ASF checkpoints have been put in place and reiterated that the virus does not affect humans and that pork products are safe for consumption, citing the negative impact of the ASF outbreak on the hog industry. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News"/>Members of the local hog industry, allied sectors, and the Quezon City government sought to allay fears about eating pork during a press conference in Quezon City on August 21, 2024, amid the recent outbreak of African Swine Fever in parts of Batangas. The Quezon City LGU assured the public that ASF checkpoints have been put in place and reiterated that the virus does not affect humans and that pork products are safe for consumption, citing the negative impact of the ASF outbreak on the hog industry. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</div>MANILA - Hog industry players ate lechon (roast pig) in front of TV cameras to assure consumers that locally produced pork remains safe for human consumption, despite the surge in African swine fever cases.&quot;Wala po tayo dapat ikabahala lahat nasa supermarket dumaan sa inspection sa NMIS. We make sure na ang nilalabas lang ay healthy animals,&quot; said Chester Warren Tan, President of the National Federation of Hog Farmers at an event held with officials of the Quezon City local government.(We have nothing to worry about as pork sold in supermarkets underwent inspection from the NMIS. We make sure that we only release healthy animals.)&quot;Hindi naman po ito nagta-transfer sa ibang animal o hindi rin po ito nagta-transfer sa atin, sa human,&quot; he said.(ASF cannot be transferred to other animals, and cannot be transferred to humans.)Tan said they noticed a scare in the industry, with a sudden drop in the farmgate price of pork. But he also said that prices have stabilized.The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday began identifying pigs that will be vaccinated, particularly in the town of Lobo, Batangas. Vaccines procured by the government arrived in the country last weekend.But Tan noted that the earlier projections of P400 per dose are too high for commercial raisers.&quot;We hope yung price is not as high as yung unang announcement. Last year. So, hopefully, maging affordable to para sa lahat dahil hindi lang naman na mga commercial farms ang gagamit. Mga medium scale, small scale, and even yung mga kasamahan natin na backyard farmers,&quot; Tan said.(We hope the price is not as high as the first announcement. Hopefully, it becomes more affordable as even small backyard farms will be using it.)Jayson Cainglet of SINAG said there are no problems with the supply of pork in the country.&quot;So hindi problema ang supply. Hindi nga nabibenta baboy. Kaya as far as this is concerned, walang kakulangan ngayong panahon. At wala rin dapat ipagtaas ang presyo dahil nga sa farmgate, bumagsak na siya ng 30 to 40%,&quot; Cainglet said.(Supply is not a problem as pork sales are low. No price spike is also expected as the farmgate price has already dropped.)<div>INFECTED HOGS INTERCEPTED</div>Meanwhile, the Bureau of Animal Industry said it intercepted a truck with 30 infected pigs at the Mindanao Avenue checkpoint on August 20.&quot;BAI personnel immediately conducted blood tests on the pigs that showed the animals were ASF-infected. After confirmation, the hogs were condemned and buried in the central burial site,&quot; the agency said.The BAI said it urges hog raisers and transporters to comply with all regulations and biosecurity protocols to prevent the further spread of ASF and protect the livelihoods of farmers nationwide.&quot;Owners of infected pigs caught in livestock checkpoints won’t be indemnified and may even face charges for endangering public health and violating food safety rules,&quot; the agency warned.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Knnl7HDA5P0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>

Hog industry players ate lechon in front of TV cameras to assure consumers that pork remains safe to eat despite the surge in African swine fever cases.

Hog industry players ate lechon in front of TV cameras to assure consumers that pork remains safe to eat despite the surge in African swine fever cases.