BAI-VQS, Customs disposes ASF-positive food items

February 16, 2020

On February 7, 2020, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) successfully disposed the seized African Swine Fever (ASF)-positive food items at the facility of Integrated Waste Management at Terece Martirez, Cavite.

The containerized shipment containing various food items such as dumplings, pork-chicken balls, and roast chicken wings consigned to Dynamic M Intl Trading Inc arrived at MICP on December 11, 2019 from China and was alerted on December 17, 2019.

It was seized last January 24, 2020 after the Veterinary Quarantine Services (VQS) of BAI found a sample of pork-celery dumpling to be ASF-positive.The food items were disposed of through a heat-assisted method called Thermolysis or Thermal Decomposition.

An interagency team composed of officers from the BOC, BAI, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PGS) administered the transfer of the ASF-positive food items and witnessed its disposal.

The shipment was initially inspected by the Bureau of Customs at the Designated Examination Area in MICP, and was transferred to the consignee’s warehouse at Goldkey Bldg, Toklong, Kawit, Cavite for the conduct of 100% physical examination by the interagency team.

The transfer was a requisite to provide BAI the proper cold storage facility to ensure proper inspection of the meat products, and for them to conduct proper tests.Custom has taken cue from the expertise of BAI for the disposal of the shipment.

Acting on the disposal plan, the food items were disinfected first by the BAI and transported the same to the facility of Integrated Waste Management in Cavite for thermal decomposition. DMS