The provincial government of Negros Occidental is pushing for stringent penalties against violators of the ongoing ban on pork and poultry products from areas affected by the African swine fever (ASF) and avian influenza (AI) outbreaks.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said that Negros Occidental and Bacolod City will continue to jointly ban the entry of pork and poultry products from areas hit by AI and ASF.
ASF and AI viruses pose a serious threat to the local livestock industry and the health of the public.
According to the governor, the province is committed to protecting its pork and poultry industries, stressing that any threat to these industries could have significant long-term consequences for the province that it cannot afford to ignore.
In response to the burning of P1.4 million worth of eggs seized at the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation (BREDCO) port, Lacson stated that the government cannot take any chances when it comes to safeguarding the industry.
Meanwhile, Bacolod City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr., explained that the documents accompanying the seized eggs were found to be fraudulent, making it impossible to trace their actual point of origin. If the point of origin cannot be determined, it will be dangerous, he stressed.
Ting Jr. said that the city will continue to implement stricter measures and penalties against violators of the ban on illegal poultry products, including confiscation of vehicles carrying the banned produced.
