DA funds upgrading of abattoirs nationwide

In line with its goal of transforming the Philippines into a major producer and exporter of meat and meat products, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is helping abattoirs nationwide to upgrade their facilities to meet national standards.

The MEIP is being implemented by the DA’s National Meet Inspection Service (NMIS).

In separate MOAs signed recently, the DA committed to assist Mandaue and the municipalities of Pili in Camarines Sur, San Francisco in Agusan del Sur, and Bustos in Bulacan, in upgrading their slaughterhouses under a program called Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).

Under the MOA, the NMIS will provide technical and financial assistance to the local government units (LGUs) and help them improve their slaughterhouses and comply with Good Manufacturing Practices and Sanitation Standard Operation Procedure (GMP-SSOP) set by DA.

The Mandaue LGU will shoulder the initial 50 percent for the slaughterhouse improvement project while the DA will pay for the final 50 percent cost of the project.

Republic Act 9296 or the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines calls on LGUs to improve existing meat facilities to comply with the national standards.

RA 9296 envisions the Philippines as a major producer of meat and meat products in Southeast Asia.

In a report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap, NMIS officer-in-charge Executive Director Jane Bacayo said the NMIS is strengthening its partnership with LGUs for a more effective regulation of the meat industry.

These include a closer watch on the country’s meat processing plants and public markets along with 426 accredited slaughterhouses and more than 2,000 unaccredited slaughterhouses nationwide.