The Antipolo City Veterinary Office (CVO) conducted a seminar over the weekend to meat vendors of MLQ Market on the safe and proper handling of meat products as part of its efforts to provide its residents with quality-assured products that are safe for consumption.
"Ang mga karneng binibenta sa ating mga pampublikong pamilihan ay karaniwang fresh o frozen. Ang pag-iimbak ng karne sa isang frozen temperature ay nagpapatagal ng shelf life nito. Ngunit ang maling proseso ng pag-iimbak nito ay maaari pa ring magdulot ng masamang epekto sa kalusugan ng mga kababayan natin (The meats being sold at our public market are usually fresh or frozen and by storing the products in a frozen environment prolongs its shell life. However, a mistake in its storing procedure may also bring a harmful effect on the health of our citizens)," the local government said.
"Bukod dito ay tuloy pa din ang ating ginagawang post abattoir inspection at anti-mortem para makatiyak na safe for human consumption ang ating mga karneng itinitinda sa ating lungsod (Aside from this, we are still continuously conducting post abattoir inspection and anti-mortem to ensure that meats being sold in our city are safe for human consumption)," it added.
Post abattoir inspection refers to the handling of meat as it is prepared and leaves the abattoir to the meat markets, processing plants, and cold storage.
Antipolo's CVO has been staunch in performing its duties in responding to animal-related concerns, most specially in protecting the public from the African-Swine Flu (ASF) and avian Influenza.
On December 23 last year, the CVO launched its regular blood and cloacal sample collection of its chickens, ducks, and turkeys as it ramped up its efforts against the avian Influenza virus.
“Bukod sa Rabies, African Swine Flu (ASF), at iba pa, kasama din sa surveillance ang Bird Flu na isinagawa ng ating City Veterinary Office (CVO). Regular ang pagkuha ng blood at cloacal sample collection sa mga poultry birds na ipinapasuri natin sa laboratory (Besides Rabies, African Swine Flu (ASF), and other diseases, our City Veterinary Office is also monitoring Bird Flu. The CVO conducts regular blood and cloacal sample collection of poultry birds which are then sent to the laboratory for testing),” the local government unit (LGU) said.
The LGU also expressed its gratitude to CVO for ensuring that all poultry and egg products which are being sold to the community are safe and free from any diseases.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the country had its very first bird flu outbreak on August 11, 2017 in Pampanga wherein almost 600,000 birds were culled in San Luis, Pampanga and in San Isidro and Jaen in Nueva Ecija.
On January 8, 2021, the Philippines was declared free of the last remaining A(H5N6) strain of the avian influenza (AI) by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).