DVMF orders tighter controls for hog entry

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) has ordered tighter controls on the entry of live hogs and pork products into Cebu City, requiring transporters and traders to present complete veterinary and shipping documents before shipments are allowed.

The directive comes as African Swine Fever (ASF) continues to spread in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Bacolod City, and after Cebu itself contained a suspected case in a southern barangay, where 20 pigs were culled.

For live hogs coming from outside Cebu, the requirements are extensive and layered to ensure that only ASF-free animals reach the city.

Shipments must first secure a Recognition of Active Surveillance and a Certificate of ASF-Free Status from the Provincial Veterinary Office, confirming that the source province has been actively monitoring for ASF and remains free of the disease.

This must be supported by ASF-negative laboratory test results, which provide direct evidence that the animals being transported are not infected.

A Veterinary Health Certificate is also required, and it must explicitly state Cebu City as the destination to prevent diversion or unauthorized entry.

Along with these documents, a Local Shipping Permit from the Bureau of Animal Industry’s National Veterinary Quarantine Service is also mandatory, ensuring that national quarantine protocols are observed.

Transporters must likewise hold a Livestock Handler’s Permit issued by the Department of Agriculture (DA), certifying that those moving the animals are trained and authorized to do so.

After obtaining all the required permits and test results, every shipment must be issued a Certificate of Acceptance by the DVMF before entry is permitted, serving as the city’s final safeguard.

For pork and pork products, the rules are equally strict.

Locally slaughtered meat must carry a Meat Inspection Certificate, guaranteeing that the carcasses were processed in accredited facilities and passed safety checks.

Imported pork must be accompanied by a Certificate of Meat Importation from the National Meat Inspection Service, verifying that the products meet national standards.

These shipments must also present a Certificate of Acceptance from the DVMF and a Local Shipping Permit from the Bureau of Animal Industry, ensuring that all pork entering Cebu City has been vetted at multiple levels.

The city has paired enforcement with grassroots education.

On July 28, 2026, the DVMF and the City Agriculture Department held ASF and biosecurity orientations in Barangays Inayawan and Bulacao, teaching backyard hog raisers preventive measures such as disinfecting pens and equipment, restricting farm access, avoiding swill feeding, and reporting sick or dead pigs.

Just days later, a piggery in a southern barangay also reported suspected ASF infections, with at least 20 hogs culled and buried.

Authorities moved quickly to contain the infection by cordoning off the area and disinfecting facilities, and they assured the public that Cebu City remains ASF-free.

The affected hog raiser, who lost an estimated P300,000 investment, has received personal aid from Mayor Nestor Archival while awaiting assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Services.

Archival earlier created the Cebu City ASF Task Force through Executive Order No. 86, mandating strict biosecurity enforcement at ports, checkpoints, slaughterhouses, and markets. The DVMF memo builds on that framework, translating the EO into operational rules for traders and transporters.

As explained, ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that is fatal to pigs and wild boars.

In Negros Occidental alone, more than 2,000 hog deaths were recorded by June 2026, while Bacolod City has confirmed infections in multiple barangays.

The DA has warned that ASF remains a national threat, disrupting supply chains and driving pork prices higher across the Visayas and Luzon. — IHM (FREEMAN)