March 6, 2007

 

Philippines awaits OIE of FMD-free declaration

 

 

The Philippines is expecting the World Health Organization's Office International des Epizooties (WHO-OIE) to soon declare Luzon region and the entire country of being free from foot and mouth disease (FMD) which will boost its international livestock safety status and export capability.

 

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap told the Manila Bulletin the country expects to receive confirmation of its FMD-free certification status by year-end.

 

Yap said the OIE asked for an extension of six months for the Philippines to stay without an FMD outbreak before it can be certified by the agency.

 

Yap said the FMD-free certification will prompt the export of processed meat in Luzon that will augment the country's livestock export from already FMD-free Visayas and Mindanao.

 

Purefoods, Mekeni Foods Corporation and Pampanga's Best are among Luzon's best meat processors.

 

Francisco Buencamino, executive director of the Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI), said PAMPI expects establishment of meat processing plants in Luzon unlike when the only recognized FMD-free regions in the country were Visayas and Mindanao.

 

Luzon had its last FMD outbreak in December 2005. Since it requires a two-year period without an FMD outbreak before a region can be declared FMD free, the country needs to wait until December, according to Atty Jane Bacayo, National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) executive director.

 

Government data show that the Philippines has already exported processed meat products in the January-September 2006 to Micronesia, United Arab Emirates, Marshall Islands, United States, Thailand Saudi Arabia, Pacific Trust territories, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Italy.

 

The hog industry registered revenue of P126.5 billion at current prices, up by 3.9 percent. The hog sector alone takes a 14.3 percent share of total agricultural production, making it the country's second major industry behind palay.

 

DA's Bureau of Animal Industry has been trying to work out a market access for the country's pork in Singapore as the Singaporean government representatives inspected last year Triple A hog slaughtering houses in Visayas and Mindanao.

 

Luzon also aims to have an export capability to export to Singapore. Moreover, the Philippines is targeting to tap huge export market for Halal food products recognised in nearby Muslim countries Indonesia, Malaysia and in the Middle East.