July 29, 2010

 

Philippines to resume pork exports to Singapore

Philippine pork exports to Singapore may now recommence before year-end as the government expects to establish an Ebola-free zone in Mindanao soon, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said.

 

Dr Reildrin Morales, officer in charge of BAI's Animal Health Division, said components of the antigen kits from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, may soon be obtained by the Philippines. "CDC has indicated in a letter that we will already be given [components of the] antigen kits," said Morales yesterday, July 28.

 

The BAI official disclosed that the establishment of an Ebola-free zone, specifically in General Santos City, is a requirement of the Singaporean government. Morales said that once the testing kits arrive, the government will begin the process of setting up the Ebola-free zone.

 

Testing hogs for Ebola Reston, BAI officials said, will increase the confidence of Singapore in the safety of pork products from General Santos City. "The Singaporean government is keen on importing pork products from us. They are closely monitoring our progress in the establishment of the Ebola-free zone in General Santos," said Morales.

 

In December 2008, the Department of Agriculture (DA) decided to hold the shipment of two 40-footer vans containing some 50,000 tonnes of pork products bound for Singapore as a "precautionary measure."

 

The Matutum Meat Packing Corp. (MMPC) in Polomolok, South Cotabato was set to make its inaugural export of pork and pork products to Singapore on the day the DA and the Department of Health confirmed the presence of the virus.

 

The DA noted that the Ebola-Reston virus which struck local hogs is entirely different from the three other Ebola subtypes, which are all potentially fatal to humans. Unlike the Zaire, Ivory Coast and Sudan strains, the Reston strain has not been found to be fatal or to have caused illnesses to humans in contact with the infected animals.

 

So far, only the MMPC was granted accreditation by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore to export pork products. BAI, however, said Singapore continuously evaluates farms in Mindanao for accreditation. It is an area declared as FMD free by the Office Internationale des Epizooties.