LOREN SAYS PORK IS SAFE TO EAT

Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, reiterated the assurance of world health authorities that eating pork does not directly cause the transmission of A (H1N1) virus which was earlier called 'swine flu'.

Loren noted reports that sales of pork and pork products have gone down significantly in some regions of the country, particularly in Mindanao, as consumers are shying away from pork for fear that by eating pork meat they might acquire the dreaded A (H1N1) flu virus.

She also urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and all concerned agencies to monitor piggeries nationwide to immediately identify and prevent the spread of any disease that might attack piggery stocks.

"The DA and the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) should immediately identify and advise the public on the type of disease that caused massive death of stocks in any piggery to avoid panic, because at this time, any disease that attacked pigs might be mistaken as A (H1N1) virus," Loren said.

The Department of Health (DOH) and other concerned agencies should strictly implement measures to prevent the spread of the A (H1N1) virus to the Philippines and intensify information campaign that at this time pork meat is safe to eat as long as it is handled and cooked properly to at least 160 degrees.

In a meeting last week with concerned government agencies and hog industry leaders, Loren asked authorities to tighten their guard against the entry of the A (H1N1) virus to the country. It was also decided to lift the ban on the importation of pork from the United States imposed earlier, which the DA did few hours later on the basis of the findings that eating pork does not directly cause the dreaded A (H1N1) virus.

Loren said that the A (H1N1) scare badly hurt the hog the industry as she noted the complaints of pig traders and retailers in Mindanao.

According to a news report, Evangeline Caasi, a meat vendor at the Bankerohan Market in Davao City, said she already lowered prices from P145 to P135 per kilogram but consumers are simply not buying..

In Kidapawan City, sales of pork products dropped by 50 percent, according to Bebot Manuel who heads the meat vendors association there.

In Cotabato City, Oscar Tan, president of the Cotabato Grocers Association said consumers are not only shying away from fresh pork but from canned pork products.

In Digos City, Romualdo Crispino said previously, his company shipped about 240 pigs per day to other parts of the country, now it is down to 120 heads.

"With this negative effect of the misnomer of A (H1N1) virus which was earlier called 'swine flu', there is a need for the Local Government Units (LGUs) to help in the information campaign that pork meat and meat products are safe to eat even if the virus scare is still high to save their respective local hog industry, particularly the traders and retailers, from great loses due to drop in sales," Loren said.