...as Dar sees smuggling a bigger threat to supply than ASF

Smuggling of imported pork products, especially from China, remains the biggest problem for the country following the discovery of a new strain of swine flu with a pandemic potential.

During Laging Handa’s briefing yesterday, Agriculture Secretary William Dar appealed to traders and importers not to bring in smuggled pork products from China so as not to add to the country’s health problems.

“Our major problem is smuggling and those bringing in products coming from countries that we are not allowed to import. We have been implementing measures but from time to time, there are those who smuggle items from China,” he said.

The Philippines has yet to contain the African swine fever, while cases of the coronavirus disease is nowhere near flattening.

ASF, a fatal hog disease, is said to have entered the country through smuggling.

Meat imports from China have been banned since the ASF started in the Asian country two years ago.

Now, researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic. The virus named G4 descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009 after it became transmissible to human beings.

The Bureau of Customs is already on alert amid the new strain of swine flu virus through imported pork products.

Customs said it has been strictly monitoring agricultural and other food items and ensuring that proper procedures are followed to guarantee the safety of the consumers and prevent the entry of food that may contain diseases.

Meanwhile, farmers group Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) is calling on the government to fully implement the first border policy of the country’s Food Safety Law.

Sinag chair Rosendo So said if the Department of Agriculture could not fully implement the first border inspection, it might as well immediately suspend all refrigerated and non-refrigerated agri-based imports.

“As a global standard, all countries are applying this policy at the port of entry of any imported food, food products and agricultural commodity to ensure food safety, public health security and the proper labeling and correct packaging,” said So.

“The Food Safety Law was enacted in 2013. It’s been seven years but we are nowhere near 100 percent examination of all agricultural and food imports,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Customs has already directed its port officials to be vigilant and examine carefully all reefer containers to ensure that dangerous pork and pork-related products will not be allowed entry into the Philippines.