MANILA – The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) will file charges against unscrupulous traders who are trying to transport and sell African swine fever (ASF)-infected hogs, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.
In an interview, DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the BAI is now preparing necessary documents for the filing of cases against involved traders following interception at checkpoints in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
“Kapag pursigido ang gobyerno, mapuputol iyong kabuhayan nila. And eventually, kilala naman sila, iyong mga papel. Hindi sila tatantanan. Unang-una, magpa-file ng kaso (If the government is determined, their livelihood will end. And eventually, they are identified, because of the documents. We will go after them without letup. Firstly, cases will be filed),” he said.
Hogs were earlier intercepted after transporters reportedly presented incomplete or fake documents.
Unscrupulous traders may face charges for violation of Republic Act 10611 or the Food Safety Act of 2013, he added.
Among all BAI-led checkpoints across Luzon, 18 shipments were intercepted and tested, resulting in the condemnation of 430 ASF-infected hogs and the emergency slaughter of 46 heads.
The DA strictly implements first and second border controls in partnership with local government units (LGUs).
“Kung hindi natin ito na-anticipate, nahuli, may mga ilan dito na shipments talaga papunta ng Norte (If we did not anticipate this, and intercepted them, there are some shipments that are north-bound),” De Mesa said, stressing the need to prevent further spread in Northern Luzon, which is Metro Manila’s major source of pork products.
“Ang maganda rito, kahit nakakalusot sila doon sa, kunwari, unang border, kahit papaano, nakalusot pero pagdating dito talaga sa Metro Manila, napipigilan natin yung mga gano'n (What’s good is that even though some were able to pass through the first borders, we were able to intercept them when they tried to enter Metro Manila),” he added.
Stable supply, prices
De Mesa, meanwhile, assured a stable supply of hogs and pork products in the country in time for the coming “ber” months despite the exponential spike in the number of red zones or barangays with active ASF cases in the country.
“Makakatulong iyong existing na population natin na baboy, plus itong repopulation, plus yung (The existing hog population will help, plus the repopulation, plus the) imported. So, we're still okay in terms of the volume requirement,” he said, citing the PHP2 billion worth of funds for the DA repopulation program.
As of June 30, the BAI reported the arrival of 63.447 million kilograms of imported pork, recording more than 316.99 million total pork imports from January to June.
In a separate interview, DA Assistant Secretary for Swine and Poultry Constante Palabrica, likewise, said that pork prices are unlikely to increase amid the ASF scare.
“Hindi naman aakyat ang presyo ng baboy, dahil nga sa ang nangyayari ngayon ay may scare to eat pork. Kaya tumaas ang presyo ng manok (The prices of pork will not spike, because what’s happening now is there’s a scare to eat pork. That’s why there’s a price hike in chicken),” he said.
According to the DA-Bantay Presyo, the price range of pork ham (kasim) is at PHP280 per kilogram to PHP360/kg.; and PHP330/kg. to PHP400/kg. for pork liempo, as of Aug. 26.
The price of whole chicken, meanwhile, ranges from PHP180/kg. to PHP240/kg. (PNA)
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