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 The announcement was based on the results of laboratory tests
requested by Agriculture Secretary William Dar after reports last
month of an unusual number of pig deaths in backyard farms in Rizal
province, near the Philippine capital of Manila.
The Philippines, the world's seventh largest pork importer, is the
latest Asian nation to be hit by African swine fever despite efforts
to protect its $5 billion hog industry that included a ban on pork
imports.
"Out of the 20 blood samples (sent to the United Kingdom for
testing), 14 are positive with African swine fever," he said in a
media briefing.
Dar said further tests were needed to determine how virulent the
strain found in the local hogs is. There is no cure or vaccine for
the deadly and highly contagious disease, which does not affect
people.
Graphic: Philippines reports first known outbreak of African swine
fever -
https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/
gfx/ce/7/6327/6309/PhilippinesMeat.png
As of July 1, the Philippine swine herd was estimated at 12.7
million heads, including about 8 million pigs in backyard farms and
4.7 million in commercial farms, according to government data.
More than 7,000 hogs have been culled in the affected areas, some of
them buried alive, Dar said.
The Philippines has so far banned pork and pork-based products from
more than a dozen countries, including Vietnam, Laos and China. In
China, the world's biggest pork consumer, the outbreak has spread
through every province and region of the mainland, as well as to
Hong Kong and Hainan island, reducing the size of the country's hog
herd by one-third.
The Philippines' import ban also covers pork and pork-based products
from Germany, North Korea, Belgium, Hungary, Latvia, Poland,
Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Moldova, South
Africa, Zambia, and Mongolia.
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Inside the country, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has tightened
animal quarantine and food safety measures, prohibiting the
transport of live animals and meat products without health and
shipping permits.
NO NEED TO FEAR PORK
Agriculture officials suspect the virus was brought to local farms
via food scraps, or swill, from hotels and restaurants fed to pigs,
or from imported pork products. They reminded farm owners that the
transport, handling, disposal and sale of swill without proper
permits and not in accordance with the existing regulations is
unlawful.
They said the public should not fear eating pork, assuring that hogs
that passed through the proper process of slaughtering and
preparation are safe.
Before slaughtering, hogs are validated and assessed by a
veterinarian, who then issues a medical certificate, the DA said in
a statement.
Once slaughtered, the meats are stamped with a seal from the
government's National Meat Inspection Service.
"We believe we have successfully managed the issue," the DA said.
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez sought to downplay the impact of
African swine fever on food prices as he said consumers are likely
to turn to poultry, beef and fish as substitutes.
(This story was refiled to correct phrasing of headline)
(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Graphic by Gavin Maguire; Editing by
Christian Schmollinger and Tom Hogue)
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