February 8, 2022

Philippines Department of Agriculture to monitor online pork product sellers

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture branch in Western Visayas region will be monitoring online pork sellers to confirm if their sources are free from African swine fever (ASF), the Philippine News Agency reported.

Chief of the regulatory division of the region, Dr. Jonic Natividad, said they have discovered an online pork seller which sourced products from an ASF affected area, adding that seller was probably able to source the products at a cheaper price.

Natividad also said that the region's animal control checkpoint in Caticlan Jetty Port in Aklan had recently intercepted a bus transporting boxes of pork products from Batangas, an ASF affected province.

The region of Western Visayas, Philippines, has been campaigning intensively to maintain the region's ASF-free status and safeguard its PHP 20 billion (~US$388 million; PHP 10 = US$0.19) swine industry.

-      Philippine News Agency