THE national zoning plan for controlling the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) will be implemented as an administrative order (AO) to ensure effective implementation, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
“We cannot have a one-size-fits-all solution because there are some interests that want to be protected. Kaya nga ang gusto natin kung ito ay katanggap-tanggap based on science, technology, economic condition, risk assessment… ito ay gawin na nating AO… na ipapatupad ng DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) (To make it more acceptable to all it needs to be based on science, technology, economic conditions, and an assessment of the risks, and it needs to be issued in an AO by the DILG),” Agriculture Undersecretary Ariel T. Cayanan told reporters after a House briefing on ASF on Monday.
He said Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar is pushing for the immediate implementation of the zoning plan, subject to consultations.
The government is in the midst of finalizing the details of the national zoning plan, its scheme for determining where movements of animals are relatively safe and where they need to be restricted.
Under the proposed zoning plan, the country will be divided into five zones, which include the free zone (Visayas, Mindanao, and Region IV-B), the containment zone (all of Luzon), the protected zone (Regions I, II, Cordillera Administrative Region, and V), the surveillance zone (Regions III and IV-A), and the infected zone (infected areas within surveillance zone).
Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Director Ronnie D. Domingo said instances of reported ASF outbreaks have slowed down in November.
“At the moment… ngayon pababa tayo. Sana hindi na malagyan ng buntot na tataas pa (Cases are declining. We hope there is no tail to these incidents where we experience a sudden rise),” he told reporters.
He said the public is becoming aware of its role in helping contain the disease as well as the shift to drier weather. Further action is being taken to slow the spread of the disease, he said, without elaborating.
The disease has seen the interests of the farming and food processing industries diverge, with hog raisers persuading many local governments to impose bans on the movement of pork products to contain the infection and the meat processors lobbying the national government to override local bans, claiming its products are safe after being exposed to heat treatment. The meat processors are also eager to avoid restrictions on freedom of movement ahead of the peak holiday season.
Mr. Domingo said any scheme proposing freedom of movement for pork products implies an underlying documentation process that establishes pork products are ASF-free. Mr. Cayanan dismissed this as a “band-aid solution.”
Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) Chairman Rosendo O. So said that the group is considering filing charges against the Bureau of Customs (BoC) for not following proper procedure on the entry of pork imports which could have spread ASF.
About 7.6 million kilos of pork from Germany entered the country between August and September even after an import ban imposed in July.
Mr. So alleged that the BoC allows tariffs to be paid prior to inspection and clearance, when it should be the other way around according to Republic Act 10611, or the Food Safety Act. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
