Bohol intensifies border control efforts against African swine fever

ABS-CBN News

Posted at Mar 28 2023 07:41 PM

Pigs are hosed down inside a backyard hog raiser's pen. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File
Pigs are hosed down inside a backyard hog raiser's pen. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File


CEBU — Bohol province has intensified border control efforts for international shipments that may contain pork products as a precaution against the African swine fever (ASF).

In his executive order, Governor Aris Aumentado ordered the entry of imported pork meat and pork products only from ports that remained ASF-free.
 
These included international ports from the provinces of Palawan, Mindoro Occiental, Mindoro Oriental, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Siquijor.
 
“During a consultative meeting, we arrived at a consensus to regulate from the first port of call for imported products before transferring to cold chain facilities,” Aumentado's order read.

Incoming pork meat and port products from ASF-free zoness would still be required to present pertinent documents, such as a certificates of meat inspection and registration of meat transport vehicles.

Aumentado also ordered the province's inter-agency task force against ASF to strictly monitor all of Bohol's ports.
 
Amid rising cases of ASF from neighboring provinces like Cebu, Bohol has been free of the infectious disease since 2019.

—Report from Annie Perez

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