Group wants total ban on pork imports from Europe

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) on Tuesday called for a total ban on pork products from European countries amid reports of the African swine fever (ASF) affecting hogs in some nations there.

"Kasi yung sa European countries dikit-dikit din yan eh, so yung Germany and yung malapit sa Poland area, yung Poland kasi tinamaan din eh, so gusto natin is initially siguro total ban ang European countries," said Rosendo So, the group's chairman, in an interview on News To Go.

SINAG earlier bared that some one million kilos of frozen pork from Belgium, a country affected by the ASF, had entered the country late last year despite the ban on the importation of pork products from Belgium, China, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine.

"Galing ito sa Custom records, 'no. Nakuha natin sa Custom records. Ito na yung mga pumasok ng October to November," he said.

"So dapat, may record naman ang Bureau of Animal Industries, ma-check kung nasaan yung mga stock at kung may problema ito kailangan i-confiscate and sunugin na," he added.

So urged the Department of Agriculture to "step up" in protecting the country from ASF-affected meats.

"We hope mag-step up ang ating Department of Agricultur.  Siguro i-ban na rin yung European countries, syempre yun Russia area, tsaka itong  China. Totally i-ban yung produkto papunta dito," he said.

So said only 5 percent of pork in the country is imported.

He also said the Bureau of Animal Industry, which is under the DA, should have informed the Bureau of Customs regarding the possible risks in importing meats from the said countries.

"Kulang sa trabaho ang Bureau of Animal Industry, hindi ini-inform yung BOC,” So said.

Meanwhile, So clarified that the ASF can only affect hogs and not humans, which means it will be a threat only to hog raising industries but not to human health.

"Yung risk hindi sa tao, sa tao walang problema. For example, nakabili sila ng infected ng ASF at nadala sa bahay, maski niluto nila yan, papakain sa baboy, apektado pa rin ang baboy maski naluto yan,” he said.

"Yung baboy ang magkakasakit. Kung ung damit o sapatos nila contaminated, kumakalat ito. Kahit ung imported meat, imported longganisa, tocino, pag nadala yan sa bahay apektado ang alaga nila."