Quezon City to shut down backyard piggeries

MANILA, Philippines — Backyard piggeries will no longer be allowed to operate in Quezon City, Mayor Joy Belmonte announced yesterday.

Belmonte ordered the closure of all backyard piggeries in the city amid the reported swine flu disease that affected pigs in nearby Rizal province.

“It is not legal to own piggeries in Quezon City based on our zoning ordinance. We do not have agricultural zones,” she said in a text message to The STAR.

“But we will give piggery owners a grace period to relocate their businesses,” the mayor added.

They will be given six months to either move their businesses outside the city or sell their hogs, city veterinarian Ana Marie Cabel said.

“So far we have identified six barangays where there are backyard piggeries,” she said.

Aside from operating in an urban area, which is prohibited under existing laws, Cabel said backyard piggeries also violate environmental and sanitation guidelines.

She said they would not confiscate the pigs as she assured the public that no swine flu disease has been reported in the city.

The local government has established checkpoints to ensure that tainted meat will not enter the city.

At least six tons of meat products tagged as “botcha” were confiscated recently by the city veterinary office for lack of necessary permit.