Singapore pork market still open to Philippines

The Singapore government has kept its door open to export of pork from Mindanao despite the delay in the conduct of the test for Ebola Reston virus on pork.

The assurance was made by Rafael Mercado, head of the livestock division of the Department of Agriculture (DA), after the South Cotabato Swine Producers Association said this week that the Philippines has missed out on the opportunity to tap the Singapore offer due to the failure of the government to conduct pork testing in the South Cotabato area by the middle of February.

Mercado said the exportation would be put on hold pending the test, but will tap the local markets around Mindanao, which can absorb the production volume in the meantime.

The Ebola Reston screening was the final test to determine the safety of pork from Mindanao, although the first test found pork in Mindanao to be negative of the virus. Mercado said the virus was only detected in a Central Luzon farm, and there had been no reported case that it has contaminated other areas, including Mindanao.

He said the seven production farms in South Cotabato and one of three farms in the Davao region have already passed the previous tests satisfactory to Singapore standards, which included the triple-K processing measures in their respective slaughterhouses and farm-operation inspection system.

Singapore has earlier said it could absorb two 17-tonne reefer van volume per shipment from the combined production of both areas. Shipment is done weekly.