By Lilybeth Ison/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) has lifted the temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild pigs and their products including pork meat, pig skin, and semen originating from Japan.
In Memorandum Order No. 11, DA Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol said that based on the evaluation of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the risk of contamination of classical swine fever virus from importing pig and pig products from Japan is negligible.
Piñol said that all import transactions of domestic and wild pigs and their products including pork meat, pig skin, and semen “shall be in accordance with existing rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry and National Meat Inspection Service.”
In February this year, the DA chief ordered a ban on pork imports from Japan following reports of African Swine Fever (ASF) in that country.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease affecting both domestic and wild pigs of all ages with up to 100 percent fatality rate. However, it is not a public health threat nor food-safety concern.
Other territories affected by the virus are China, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hungary, Belgium, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Moldova, South Africa, and Zambia.
Meanwhile, Piñol reiterated his warning to incoming passengers that “bringing in meat and other agricultural products without the necessary permit, especially those coming from ASF-affected countries” could be slapped with a fine of up to PHP200,000.
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