Piñol orders sacking of NAIA quarantine team amid threat of African Swine Fever

By Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio
DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol ordered on Friday the sacking of quarantine team of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after their failure to establish quarantine measures on the entry of pork products from countries affected by African Swine Fever (ASF).
“The directive was for all quarantine stations to establish footbaths in all entry points of the country, the interception and confiscation of all pork-based products,” Mr. Piñol said in his Facebook post.
Mr. Piñol cited a report quoting Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) Chairperson Rosendo O. So as saying there were no quarantine procedures observed at NAIA. The DA chief then confirmed the report with Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Officer-in-Charge and Director Ronnie D. Domingo.
“Dr. Domingo admitted that the NAIA Quarantine Group failed to establish the footbath facility ‘because of procurement issues’ and it was the only station which failed to implement the directives,” Mr. Piñol said, adding that the quarantine team will be released effective 5:00 p.m. of Jan. 4, Friday.
Pork products have been banned here from 13 countries: China, Hungary, Belgium, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Moldova, South Africa and Zambia. DA issued the first ban on June 27 last year, particularly on pork products from Hungary.
On Dec. 28, DA issued a memorandum order requiring the establishment of footbaths in all entry points of the country and a mandatory inspection of vessels docking in Philippine ports with meat supplies, including cruise ships and fishing boats with meat products from China.
The order also required close coordination with the Bureau of Customs and confiscation and destruction of all pork products within 24 hours coming from China and other countries affected by ASF.
Mr. Piñol appealed to consumers to patronize locally produced pork and pork products, especially in the face of the ASF threat.
“The threat is real and it could affect an industry which benefits millions of families, mostly small backyard farmers who raise 15 million heads of hogs every year,” he said.
“Better still, source your requirements locally. That way, you do not only protect our local hog industry but you also help lower poverty in the countryside. Remember that if you buy local, you not only help the hog farmers but also the corn, sorghum, coconut and cassava farmers, who produce the materials for local feeds,” Mr. Piñol added.