September 25, 2025
Philippines: Board of Investment urges farming standards to reduce reliance on meat imports
The Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) anticipates lower livestock and poultry imports with wider adoption of Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP), designed to protect the health and safety of both farm workers and animals.
In a statement, the BOI said it is working to promote the adoption of GAHP standards, aiming to increase awareness of its role in food safety, biosecurity, and investment readiness across the livestock and poultry sectors.
According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), the GAHP refers to the set of good practices and minimum requirements for the rearing of animals for food use.
These standards aim to ensure that a farm's practices provide consumers with confidence that the final products are safe and fit for human consumption.
At the same time, it would ensure that the health, safety, and comfort of farm workers and animals are protected, especially amid the continued spread of animal diseases.
The GAHP certification is currently voluntary, which may be the reason why only 45 farms nationwide have secured certification, according to the latest data.
The BOI, the country's lead investment promotion agency, said this reflects the need for further outreach and policy alignment to accelerate its adoption.
Last year, livestock and poultry accounted for over 28 percent of the value of agriculture and fisheries production, which stood at ₱1.73 trillion (US$29.60 billion), based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The BOI, however, noted that the livestock and poultry continue to face production challenges due to the spread of African swine fever (ASF) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu.
The agency said these diseases "have significantly disrupted supply chains and increased the country's dependence on imports."
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that the Philippines has imported 473.46 million kilograms (kg) of meat from January to April.
Pork imports accounted for half of the total imports, at 250.97 million kilogrammes, followed by chicken at 154.54 million kg.
As of Sept. 12, ASF remains active in 12 provinces, while HPAI is present in eight.
In response, the BOI said it is advocating for a wider adoption of the GAHP certification in an effort to enhance biosecurity and improve farm management practices, while opening up more investment opportunities in the sector.
As part of its promotional efforts, the agency stated that it is exploring the integration of GAHP into its broader supply chain development strategy and investment policies. This will particularly concern BOI-registered livestock and poultry production projects.
"The BOI reaffirms its commitment to working in close collaboration with BAI and other regulatory agencies to mainstream GAHP practices and elevate Philippine livestock and poultry production to globally competitive standards," it said.
- The Manila Bulletin
