African Swine Flu (ASF) and other diseases detrimental to the country’s agricultural sector can be avoided with the establishment of a border facility to inspect and examine imported meat, fisheries, and other agricultural products entering the Philippines.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, together with Department of Agriculture Usec. Domingo Panganiban and officials of the Department of Agrarian Reform led the groundbreaking ceremony of the Commodity Examination Facility for Agriculture (CEFA) in Angat, Bulacan.
“This is the first, and we hope that we will be at the groundbreaking ceremonies of the other two inspection facilities to be put up in Cebu and Davao,” said Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture.
She said the groundbreaking and memorandum of agreement signing for the establishment of the government’s very first border control facility “is a milestone for our country.”
She said the construction of CEFA, a state-of-the-art facility, is in compliance with the Food Safety Act of 2013 or Republic Act 10611.
“The lack of adherence to the Food Safety Act of 2013 has led to the inadequate management of the African Swine Fever (ASF) challenge, and created a risk of other diseases in livestock entering the Philippines,” the senator pointed out.
“This compromise on the quality and safety of food products endangers consumer health and undermines the reputation of the agricultural industry,” she added.
With the CEFA that will enforce stricter rules and ensure a thorough examination of agricultural cargo, Villar said the risk of diseases and other potential threats will be minimized. This will contribute to safer food products for consumers and protect public health.
Through comprehensive examination and inspection protocols, she said CEFA will be a crucial tool in detecting and preventing the spread of diseases in livestock, reducing the likelihood of outbreaks.
This proactive approach will protect the agricultural sector and local communities from potential epidemics, ensuring the stability of food production
Villar related that all developed countries have these facilities as part of their strengthened food safety and quarantine, inspection regulations.
The laboratory shall enable the immediate testing of samples from commodities suspected to carry animal, fish, or plant pests or diseases and other hazardous contents.
A crematorium will also be in place to ensure the safe disposal of confirmed agricultural commodities with quarantine violations if these cannot be returned to their origin.
Furthermore, Villar said a border facility will also help in preventing agricultural smuggling because the shipment shall undergo 100% inspection of farm commodities using not only human power but also modern technology.
“The continued smuggling of agricultural products undercuts domestic producers and compromises our food safety and our revenue collections which otherwise should fund social services for the benefit of our people,” she added. Macon Ramos-Araneta