Cebu bans export of live hogs, sows outside the province for 6 months

The provincial government of Cebu has prohibited the export of live hogs and sows to other parts of the country for the next six months, citing the limited supply given the threat of African swine fever (ASF).

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia's executive order dated 29 January 2021 mandates that the suspension will take effect Monday, 1 February 2021, noting that the local supply of pork was not enough to meet the 4,226-metric-ton local demand.

"[D]ue to the increase of demand of pork and live hogs within the Province of Cebu, accompanied with the increase in demand of the same in ASF-affected zones, there has been a concomitant increase of price per kilo-live weight within Cebu," the EO read.

"[T]here is an urgent need to strictly regulate the export of live hogs and sows to other areas of the country in order to protect the pig supply in the Province of Cebu," it added.

But, the EO noted that breeder farms accredited by the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) may be allowed to export breeder pigs to other parts of the country subject to the approval of the Provincial Veterinary Office, and that the province be prioritized for breeding and repopulation.

Just last week, the Department of Agriculture (DA) proposed that President Rodrigo Duterte implement a ceiling on pork and chicken prices, which have gone up despite the price freeze implemented late last year amid the ASF calamity.

The DA first confirmed the presence of the ASF in the Philippines in September 2019. It blamed the outbreak mainly on imports from China and the practice of swill feeding. —LBG, GMA News