Cebu City veterinary inspectors condemned more than 743 kilograms of meat and animal parts in April as part of ongoing food safety enforcement efforts, according to the city’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF).
Based on the April 2026 report submitted to Mayor Nestor Archival on May 22, the City Meat Inspection Service (CMIS) recorded a total of 743.30 kilograms of meat and animal parts declared unfit for consumption following ante mortem and post mortem inspections in accredited slaughterhouses.
The report showed that 166 kilograms were condemned before slaughter, while 577.03 kilograms were rejected after slaughter due to various health-related conditions.
Inspectors cited pneumonia, cirrhosis, jaundice, abscesses, fractures, and other abnormalities among swine as reasons for condemnation.
In a separate inspection at a poultry dressing plant, authorities also disposed of 60 avian heads due to overscalding, hematoma, and related defects.
Aside from slaughterhouse findings, CMIS confiscated 90.54 kilograms of meat and animal parts during market monitoring operations.
These included pork lechon and fresh pork classified as “hot meat,” mechanically deboned meat (MDM) prohibited in public markets, and animal entrails without proper meat inspection clearance.
Authorities issued seven stern warnings and 18 citation tickets during April enforcement activities.
The report further showed that slaughterhouse operations remained active during the period, with registered private facilities processing 8,167 hogs and producing 53,629 dressed chickens.
National Meat Inspection Service accredited establishments processed 2,235 hogs, 118 cattle, and 65,835 dressed chickens.
To strengthen compliance, the CMIS conducted training sessions on hygienic meat handling for vendors and processors from mountain barangays, along with consumer information drives in Barangay Cambinocot highlighting the requirement for Meat Inspection Certificates in meat sold within the city.
The DVMF also reported a slight increase in collections, reaching P2.13 million in April 2026, up one percent from the same period last year.
From January to April, total revenue reached P9.83 million, a 14 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025.
Animal health programs continued during the month, with the Animal Health Division submitting eight rabies samples for laboratory testing, five of which returned positive results. No human rabies cases were recorded.
Authorities vaccinated 3,048 animals against rabies and carried out spaying and neutering procedures for 801 animals.
Pet adoption also increased, with 16 adoptions recorded in April, up from one in the same month last year.
The Fishery Division, meanwhile, inspected more than 2.54 million kilograms of fish and marine products and monitored 169 fish vendors across Cebu City markets.
City officials said the enforcement operations, vaccination drives, and information campaigns form part of continuing efforts to protect public health, ensure food safety, and strengthen animal welfare programs.
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