CONSIDERING the African Swine Fever (ASF) threat, there will be adequate pork meat, particularly the popular lechon (roast pig), for the Christmas season, according to a National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) official this Friday.
Hannah Lou Ejercito, meat inspector and consumer protection director of NMIS-7 (Central Visayas), stated meat consumers should have sufficient availability over the holidays due to the agency’s efforts to strengthen the accreditation system for locally butchered meat.
“Here at NMIS, we can tell you that beef will be available for Christmas. As the holiday approaches, inspection will ensure that the meat butchered and presented for sale on the market is safe for human consumption,” Ejercito added.
According to her, the NMIS-7 field office verifies that meat transported to the market comes from accredited merchants, is inspected, and meets certification requirements.
She advised customers to be cautious when purchasing meat and avoid hesitating to ask dealers for certification, emphasizing that “meat and certification should go together.”
Additionally, the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) encouraged vendors and handlers to obtain permits from the city regularly, particularly for their personnel and the items they sell, to avoid being questioned.
The DVMF’s Regulatory Section conducts monthly inspections of wet markets and supermarkets to ensure adequate documentation.
The DVMF performs inspections at three stages: ante mortem, post mortem, and post-abattoir.
Meat investigators conduct ante-mortem inspections at abattoirs and slaughterhouses to check whether the livestock being processed are safe for consumption by humans.
Operators must present health certificates, livestock transport certificates, and other certifications to demonstrate that the cattle they supply are healthy and transported humanely.
During post-mortem inspection, DVMF meat inspectors looked for infections that could not be discovered while the animal was still alive.