Governor backs burning of seized eggs in Bacolod

The burning of eggs seized by the City Veterinary Office of Bacolod got the support of Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.

“I understand the actions of Bacolod City Veterinary Office and Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) simply because there was no proof where the eggs (worth about P1.4 million) came from,” Lacson told PNV Media.

The governor pointed out that “the personnel of the delivery truck said that their destination was Iloilo, but instead dropped a number of eggs in Bacolod. They even showed documents that they are in the business of pork.”

“We should not distribute these eggs in our province simply because of its questionable origin. Avian (Bird) Flu is still a concern,” Lacson said.

On Sunday last week, quarantine personnel led by the Bacolod City Veterinary Office and BAI confiscated and burned an estimated P1.4 million worth of undocumented table eggs reportedly from Bantayan Island, Cebu.

The shipment covered 240,000 pieces or 8,000 trays of eggs.

Dr. Maria Agueda dela Torre, Bacolod veterinarian, said the permit of the shipper already expired.

It has sparked various comments on social media mostly expressing dismay over the burning of the eggs citing that it was a waste of food.

‘Fake Shipper’s Permit’

In a statement released on Saturday, Atty. Romeo Carlos Ting, Jr., city legal officer, said that “public health and safety will always be our topmost priority.”

“Through this shared commitment with the province, we have given our task forces the authority to conduct necessary precautionary measures to safeguard and protect the public from poultry products such as eggs from areas affected by the highly pathogenic bird flu,” Ting said.

For clearer context, upon checking at the port, Ting said the shipper of the confiscated items presented a fake shipper’s permit that was also expired because it was dated January 16, 2023.”

He said that the driver alleged that the eggs were from Bantayan, Cebu, but on the expired permit presented, “it was stated that the eggs came from D. Santillan Piggery Farm in Mancilang, Madridejos, Cebu and are bound for Tabunok Public Market, Talisay City, Cebu. The declared quantity was only 20,000 pieces.”

“There was no way of confirming if these eggs came from an Avian Influenza-free area,” he added.

Ting cited the following requirements to be allowed entry to the province:
• Veterinary Health Certificate (VHC)
• Certification issued by the Provincial Veterinarian certifying that the eggs were sourced from farms with no incidence of Avian Influenza for the past 14 days prior to shipment
• Veterinary Shipping permit from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)
• Negative Laboratory Test result for Avian Influenza of the source flock valid within 28 days from the date of sample collection
• Certificate of Acceptance (CA) issued by the Provincial Veterinary Office of Negros Occidental

“We can’t risk the chances of these contraband items penetrating our markets. Though it often just affects birds, isolated cases of humans being infected with the H5N1 virus have already been reported,” he pointed out

Moreover, the poultry industry in the province of Negros Occidental holds a value close to P8 billion and we are one of the top poultry-producing provinces in the country, Ting said, adding that “a clear testimony that dangerous cases like this must not be taken lightly nor be tolerated.”

“The news is full of stories of how the Bird Flu greatly impacted the poultry industry not only in the country but globally. Thus, we can’t afford to place the livelihood of thousands of Negrosanon poultry raisers on the brink of harm,” Ting said.

As of date, he said, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City remain free of Avian Influenza.* (EYA)