20 kg of pork seized in Legazpi City’s villages
LEGAZPI
CITY Feb.28 – Members of the enforcement team (City Veterinary Office, Bicol
Communicators and Environmental Rescue Group (BCERG) and Kabalikat Civicom 155 Legazpi-Zion
Chapter confiscated some 20 kilos of pork “hot meat” from meat dealers in two
barangays during the surprise inspection as the city tightens its measures to
prevent the entry African Swine Fever in the city yesterday (Feb 27).
“The pork meat does not have proper
documentation. It came, apparently, from Barangay Arimbay and Buyuan,” said City
Veterinarian Dr. Manny Estipona.
Hot
meat are those from animals butchered outside of a legal slaughter house and does
not undergo the protocol for safety before selling for public consumption.
Earlier,
an executive order was issued by Legazpi City Mayor Noel E. Rosal directing the
city veterinary office to closely monitor all live pigs before and after
entering the city’s slaughter house to
ensure these are ASF-virus free and fit
for human consumption.
The
seized pork products were subjected to proper disposition. Estipona added that
ASF is not zoonotic or infectious and does not pose any risk to humans, the
danger is when food that contains hog meat infected with the virus is not
properly disposed of.
Once
this happens, the ASF virus can infect swine herds and people who are breeding
pigs will be the most affected. (NMmdl)
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