Bohol bans Cebu pork amid ASF; Lapu, Mandaue impose bans too

LAPU-LAPU and Mandaue cities in Cebu have slapped bans on pigs and pork products from a combined five areas in Cebu and two provinces, while Bohol province has banned the same from Cebu, after African swine fever (ASF) was detected in Carcar City, Cebu.

Through an executive order (EO), Bohol moved swiftly to prevent the highly contagious viral disease in pigs from crossing over to Bohol by disallowing the entry of pork, pork products and live pigs from Cebu province and Cebu City effective March 7, 2023.

In his EO 11 issud last Tuesday, Bohol Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado said swine feeds and frozen semen from Cebu Island are also prohibited from entering Bohol.

Transport vehicles or carriers are allowed only at the port areas in the province, while imported pork meat passing through Cebu will be allowed entry only if the boxes or packages containing the products undergo inspection at accredited cold storage facilities in Bohol.

Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue imposed their own bans Wednesday.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan issued EO 2023-017 banning the entry of live hogs and other pork-related products from Carcar City and Negros Island for 30 days.

On Tuesday, the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA 7) had said the pigs that tested positive in Carcar City originally came from Negros Island and were slaughtered along with local pigs at the city’s abattoir.

Under the executive order, the ban covers live hogs, sows, piglets, boar semen, swine genetic materials, pork and raw piglets, as well as pork-related products (fresh/frozen pork products and uncooked processed pork products) for 30 days from date of issuance unless there is still a declaration from the DA, the Bureau of Animal Industry’s Animal Disease Diagnostic and Reference Laboratory or the Province of Cebu of the continued incursion of ASF, in which case the ban will continue.

The ban does not apply to cooked and canned processed pork products.

Chan also prohibited swill (kitchen refuse and scraps) feeding and pig slaughter outside the Lapu-Lapu City accredited slaughterhouse.

Mandaue City

Mandaue City imposed a wider ban in Cebu.

Pigs and pork products from Carcar City and the towns of San Fernando, Sibonga, Barili and Aloguinsan are now prohibited from entering Mandaue City amid the detection of ASF.

“There shall be a temporary ban to transport into the City of Mandaue live hogs, piglets, sows, boar semen, pork and pork by-products in whatever form or quantity which may be sourced from municipalities and cities in the Province of Cebu declared to be in red (infected zone) and pink (buffer zones) for a period of 30 calendar days or until April 7, 2023,” Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes’ EO 13, issued Wednesday, stated.

Private individuals were discouraged from bringing pork and pork products from red and pink zones to their home to prevent entry and spread of the virus.

The Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries released on Wednesday a map showing Carcar City in the red zone, and San Fernando, Sibonga, Barili and Aloguinsan towns in the buffer zone as of March 6.

Buffer zone refers to areas that immediately surround or are adjacent to an infected zone, according to the Department of Agriculture.

SunStar Cebu reached out to the Central Visayas Pork Producers Cooperative for its comment but received no reply as of press time.

On Tuesday, Cebu City banned pork products and byproducts coming from Carcar City, but not pigs and pork products from the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental.

On Monday, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia banned the entry of live hogs and pork products from Carcar City to the other cities and municipalities in the Province of Cebu. She also banned the entry of the same from Negros Island to the Province of Cebu for 30 days or until April 5, 2023. (With IRT)