The African Swine Fever Task Force seized P165,035 in pork products that arrived in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City from ASF affected areas, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said onThursday, October 20.
He said the pork and pork products were seized at the BREDCO, San Carlos and Escalante ports and the Bacolod Silay Airport from October 15 to 19.
Fourteen shipments from Iloilo, two from Manila and two from Cebu were seized, and the bulk of the confiscated products were shipped back to their points of origin, Diaz said.
Confiscated were hotdogs, bacon, marinated pork, tocino, molo, siomai, lumpia, chicharon, siopao, assorted meat, lechons, lechon kawali, longganisa and chorizos.
Diaz reiterated that Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez have created a Joint ASF Task Force to prevent the entry into Bacolod City and Negros Occidental of live pigs, boar semen, pork and pork products from places affected with ASF.
Negros Occidental, which is ASF-free, has a P6 billion swine industry that must be protected, Diaz said.*