Authorities arrested a vendor in Barangay Toro, Quezon City after selling ASF-infected pork meat he bought Barangay Payatas.
The pigs in the said barangay were among the African swine fever virus-infected areas in the country.
According to the report of Tina Panganiban-Perez’s report on “24 Oras”, Quezon City Veterinary Department officials went to the unnamed vendor’s house past 5 a.m. and found the ASF-infected pork meat.
“Napag-alaman namin na sa Payatas siya kumukuha ng baboy kung saan within 1-kilometer radius ay infected area… So bawal maglabas ng baboy sa Payatas, at do’n siya bumili ng baboy,” Quezon City Veterinary Department head Ana Marie Cabel said.
(We found out that he gets pigs in Payatas, which is within a 1-kilometer radius of the infected area. It is prohibited to bring pigs out of Payatas, and that is where he bought the pork meat.)
Barangay Payatas authorities already culled 3,065 pigs as of now because of ASF.
The arrested vendor asserted that the pork meat he was selling was clean and safe to eat.
The vendor was charged with violating the QC Veterinary Code, Food Safety Act, and the Sanitation Code of the Philippines.
Bureau of Animal Industry will test the pork meat sample the authorities took before confiscating the illegal meat.
Cabel reminded the consumers only to buy pork with meat inspection seal in the market and not from other sources to avoid buying ASF-infected pork meat.
Also read: Facts about African Swine Fever