The Department of Agriculture (DA) will establish a Livestock Animal Registry (LAR) to ensure that government assistance intended for repopulation and disease control trickle down to legitimate livestock farmers.
Agriculture Undersecretary Deogracias Victor B. Savellano said the DA will partner with the private sector in establishing the LAR.
“This will identify how many and where are the different farm animals and to whom should the government give any form of subsidy from funds earmarked by the government,’ he said at the general assembly of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc.(NATFED) held recently.
The DA’s partnership with the private sector will also ensure accurate industry data and will encourage industry leaders to come up with the best business decisions.
Citing reports by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Savellano said there are currently 10.2 million pigs, however, unconfirmed reports showed there could 7.5 to 8 million pigs, if losses from African Swine Fever (ASF), estimated at around 40 percent, should be considered.
The DA will also study ways to help livestock farmers cut the costs of farm inputs such as feed ingredients and livestock genetics. The aim
is to ease farmers’ burden on costs, while indemnification system will further be improved to aid affected livestock owners.
Technology transfer on vaccines and other modern farming systems will be transferred to farmers, in collaboration with the Department of
Science & Technology.
“The concern of neglect in our agriculture for decades, should be resolved. One of the solutions is to closely study particular farm
inputs in livestock production,” Savellano said, adding that the DA is also mulling tax reductions for the livestock sector.
The Department of Budget and Management announced earlier that the National Livestock Program will get P4.3 billion from the proposed
P197.84 billion budget of DA.
Based on the proposed budget, P2.22 billion will be allotted for the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and
Expansion program (INSPIRE).
Savellano stressed that the DA’s thrust is to repopulate hogs amidst the continuing threat of ASF, by verifying that the vaccine under trial will be safe and effective. The vaccine follows all universally acceptable protocols.
