January 6, 2020

Temporary closure imposed on Philippines' North Star Meat Merchants because of African swine fever

William Dar, Philippines' Agriculture Secretary said a closure notice was directed to the company after African swine fever (ASF) was discovered in its products sold in Quezon City on December 19, 2019, reported ABS-CBN News.

In a statement, North Star said the positive ASF case was an isolated incident. The company said it is currently working with the Department of Agriculture to roll out biosecurity protocols. These include swiftly disposing products possibly affected by ASF, sanitising facilities on a daily basis and suspending plant operations temporarily to assist with full sanitation of the facility.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the local government has confiscated the ASF-infected products, with the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) tasked with evaluating North Star.

The confiscated North Star products had the NMIS seal, which certified its meat products as ASF-free. Dar has ordered NMIS to provide an explanation as to why NMIS green lit North Star products.

Dar added that ASF outbreaks have been reported in the Pampanga and Bulacan provinces of the Philippines.
 

-      ABS-CBN