Customs prohibit food waste discharge from foreign vessels to avoid ASF virus
Published Sep 11, 2019 05:42 pm
By Betheena Unite
Discharging leftovers and food waste from foreign vessels arriving in the country has been prohibited by the Bureau of Customs due to the growing concern over African Swine Flu (ASF).
Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero
(BOC / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) In a memorandum late August, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero ordered all district collectors, deputy collectors for operations, all port and terminal operators, and other officials to strictly control the possible entry of the virus through kitchen leftovers or food waste from foreign vessels and aircraft. The commissioner said the Bureau of Customs has the authority under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act to exercise supervision and control over the entrance and clearance of vessels and aircraft engaged in foreign commerce. "Due to the growing concern on the continuous spread of ASF of which no treatment or vaccine has yet been developed, there is a clamor for the observance of stringent quarantine protocols," the commissioner said through the memorandum. "Consequently, kitchen refuse/leftovers/food waste, due to possible commingling with ASF infected pork-based products, from arriving foreign vessel or aircraft whose last port-of-call is an ASF affected country is considered a high-risk path of introduction of the causal virus to the healthy population," the memorandum read. Discharging of the prohibited items, it added, would constitute a prohibited importation under Section 118(g) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. Importation of frozen processed pork meat products from ASF-affected countries have been prohibited both by the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. Earlier, the Department of Agriculture confirmed the first cases of ASF in the Philippines after 14 out of 20 blood samples of dead pigs in Rizal tested positive for ASF virus based on laboratory tests conducted in the United Kingdom. The Department of Health was, however, quick to allay fears over the confirmed ASF case, is not a risk to human health. "As long as pork is bought from reliable sources and it is cooked thoroughly, pork is safe to eat,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III emphasized.
Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero(BOC / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) In a memorandum late August, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero ordered all district collectors, deputy collectors for operations, all port and terminal operators, and other officials to strictly control the possible entry of the virus through kitchen leftovers or food waste from foreign vessels and aircraft. The commissioner said the Bureau of Customs has the authority under the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act to exercise supervision and control over the entrance and clearance of vessels and aircraft engaged in foreign commerce. "Due to the growing concern on the continuous spread of ASF of which no treatment or vaccine has yet been developed, there is a clamor for the observance of stringent quarantine protocols," the commissioner said through the memorandum. "Consequently, kitchen refuse/leftovers/food waste, due to possible commingling with ASF infected pork-based products, from arriving foreign vessel or aircraft whose last port-of-call is an ASF affected country is considered a high-risk path of introduction of the causal virus to the healthy population," the memorandum read. Discharging of the prohibited items, it added, would constitute a prohibited importation under Section 118(g) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. Importation of frozen processed pork meat products from ASF-affected countries have been prohibited both by the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. Earlier, the Department of Agriculture confirmed the first cases of ASF in the Philippines after 14 out of 20 blood samples of dead pigs in Rizal tested positive for ASF virus based on laboratory tests conducted in the United Kingdom. The Department of Health was, however, quick to allay fears over the confirmed ASF case, is not a risk to human health. "As long as pork is bought from reliable sources and it is cooked thoroughly, pork is safe to eat,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III emphasized.