Most of ASF-positive processed pork products are homemade —DA

The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday said that most of the processed pork products which tested positive for African swine fever were homemade.

According to DA spokesperson Noel Reyes, the meat products were confiscated by authorities in the possession of a traveler from Metro Manila who went to Calapan, Mindoro.

"They were able to apprehend a traveler carrying packets of processed products mostly homemade at ito'y tested positive of African swine fever. Ito po'y nangyari noong unang linggo ng October. October 6, to be exact," Reyes said in an interview on Unang Balita.

He added that only one pack of branded processed meat was recovered from the traveler.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) are still studying whether the branded one was just contaminated by the homemade products, he said.

Reyes added that the FDA has the authority to name the said brand.

On Thursday, consumer advocacy group Laban Konsyumer Inc. and the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. urged the authorities to disclose more information about the ASF-positive pork products after a copy of clinical laboratory report from the bureau’s Veterinary Laboratory Division was leaked to the media showing that three meat samples were contaminated with the ASF virus. 

The FDA, on the other hand, said that it is still waiting for the report of the DA to determine if a pullout of pork products is necessary, considering that these are still deemed safe for consumption.

“We will wait for the DA recommendation because there is no safety issue for humans. It's a disease involving animals,” FDA officer-in-charge Eric Domingo said.

Reyes likewise said that consumers should still patronize pork. "We urge the general public to continue to buy pork products from market vendors and meat shop with NMIS certification," he said.

He also appealed to small backyard hog raisers not to sell their ASF-infected pigs to traders to prevent the further spread of ASF. —Dona Magsino/KBK, GMA News