Inspectors keep eye on pork smugglers’ vehicles

Fearing that pork smugglers will bring cholera-tainted pork to small processing plants instead of markets, meat inspectors are now keeping tabs on the smugglers’ vehicles. National Meat Inspection Service executive director Jane Bacayo said he has deployed personnel to Bulacan province, particularly to areas where hog farms were hit by hog cholera. “May tao tayo sa Bulacan, kinukuha ang plate number ng sasakyan (We now have personnel in Bulacan, taking down plate numbers and details of vehicles used by the smugglers)," Bacayo said in an interview on dzRH radio. He said pork smugglers may resort to bringing the tainted meat to small processing plants instead of markets, following Friday’s market raid in Pasay City. The NMIS is working to contain the smuggling of pork from the tainted farms, after authorities declared a “red alert" on hog cholera in Luzon and Metro Manila. Bacayo said the NMIS is also presently coordinating with various law enforcement agencies to set up “pork checkpoints." He said those caught smuggling such pork will face penalties and fines for violating the consumer act. In the meantime, Bacayo urged consumers to look for NMIS seals on inspected meat, and to be wary of paleness and dried blood, and bluish or greenish discoloration that may indicate the meat is “double dead." - GMANews.TV