Pork products from Singapore were ordered banned by the Department of Agriculture due to an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in the Southeast Asian country.

The DA clarified that this is temporary though.

Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban issued a memorandum on the ban that actually prohibits the specific entry of domestic and wild pigs as well as that of their products, which include pork skin and pork meat.

It also said that Singapore is not accredited to export any swine-related commodities.

However, “there is a need to prevent the entry of any ASF-susceptible products originating from Singapore that might enter the country from hand-carried products.”

The DA had imposed stricter measures against ASF.

This is on top of new cases being recorded.

Earlier this month, some 50 samples from Carcar City, Cebu resulted in positive samples for ASF. These are the first cases of ASF in the province.

The ban on pork meat from Singapore will last until the agency revokes it.

Catherine R. Cueto