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Philippines
Thursday, March 28, 2024

PH signs pact to protect borders against TADs

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The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and National Livestock Program (NLP) signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Minnesota (UNM) to strengthen the country’s borders against transboundary animal diseases (TADs).

BAI officer-in-charge director Reildrin Morales said the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) deeply appreciated the efforts of the UNM and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for collaborating with the Philippines and the DA.

“The United States and the Philippines have a long history of friendship, of caring. And I do hope that this engagement will further expand in other areas of food safety concerns,” Morales said.

The 3-year MOU will establish knowledge-sharing through the exchange of faculty, scientists, and technical staff and organize joint conferences, symposia, and other activities.

Veterinary experts from the DA are set to visit UNM within the year for the drafting of the specific terms of the partnership.

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The agreement benefits both countries by combining research and practice in the detection and control of TADs such as the African Swine Fever (ASF), as well as, employing and adhering to international standards for the trade of animal products.

Minnesota Department of Agriculture commissioner Thom Petersen said the partnership as one that “embodies the strengths of both sides” in fighting against ASF.

Prior to the MOU, the DA met with US delegation to discuss key issues, best practices and potential areas for collaboration to strengthen agricultural and trade partnerships between the two countries.

“I think the Philippines is a great country and there’s a lot that we can do together. We look forward to doing more together and this is just one straw of that,” said USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) administrator Daniel Whitley during the visit.

BAI recalled that after the initial bout of ASF in July 2019, the DA decided to group cities and municipalities into zones to better manage the ASF outbreak.

Bantay ASF sa Barangay (BABay ASF), a monitoring group created by BAI, reported over 200 cities and municipalities with improving response to ASF as of July 15, 2022.

This prompted the government to impose stricter border controls to buttress prevention measures that were initially in place and prevent the entry and movement of ASF-infected livestock in the country, with help from local government units.

Existing programs like the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) as well the BABay ASF also participated in the clinical trials of the ASF vaccine, to revitalize the country’s hog industry.

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