Pork price decrease not caused by ASF: DA exec

DESPITE the decrease in the price of pork products, the Department of Agriculture has dismissed speculations that it was caused by the African Swine Fever outbreak in Davao Occidental.

In a phone interview, Noel Provido, DA XI Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Information Section (RAFIS) chief, confirmed that that there is a

P10 reduction in the price of pork meat.

“This is normal since pork prices decrease after the holidays,” he said.

Provido added that the pork meat market is still stable even during the outbreak and, at present, they can’t provide a complete data since it has still been a week since the outbreak started.

With the confirmed cases of ASF in Calinan, Provido said they would implement the 1-7-10 protocol.

The 1-7-10 protocol is a contingency plan by the government that would be applied in case the ASF outbreak reaches Davao City.

He said that there would be a culling of pigs within the one-kilometer radius from ground zero, surveillance within the seven-kilometer radius, and a mandatory disease report within the 10-kilometer radius.

Provido said there is nothing to worry about when consuming pork meat, as long as they only buy from certified suppliers and has the meat inspection certificate.