Philippine Hog News:

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Philippines Farmers to Benefit from Free Trade Deal
PHILIPPINES - Poultry and pig farmers are set to benefit from lower feed costs due to the ASEAN free trade agreement.



Poultry growers and pig farmers see lower feed costs as one possible silver lining in the impending implementation of a free-trade scheme among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Elias Inciong, vice president of the United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA), told Business Mirror of the Philippines that alternative raw materials for feed, such as tapioca, could become cheaper due to the elimination of tariffs under the ASEAN Free Trade Area Common Effective Preferential Treatment (AFTA-CEPT).

"With tariffs at zero level, alternative-feed materials such as tapioca would be more affordable," said Mr Inciong, in a chance interview at the sidelines of a trade and investment mission of the United States Department of Agriculture in the Philippines.

Albert Lim Jr., National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NFHFI) president, agreed that raw materials for animal feeds will become less prohibitive once the AFTA-CEPT goes into full implementation next year. Mr Lim noted that tapioca pellets used as feed input are slapped a tariff of 35 per cent.

Other feed inputs such as soybeans are slapped a tariff of one per cent, three per cent for soybean meal and three per cent for dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS).

"Feed materials could become cheaper due to AFTA, but the source of the materials could pose a problem," he said.

The NFHFI chief said only Thailand produces surplus tapioca pellets, which the Philippines can buy.

As for yellow corn, Mr Lim noted that Indonesia does not produce enough for export to other Southeast Asian countries at zero tariffs.

Business Mirror reports that stakeholders in the livestock and poultry sector admitted that they are keen on Malaysia and Indonesia as possible sources of yellow corn. Under AFTA, the 35-per-cent tariff on yellow corn imposed by Manila will be removed.

Traditionally, the Philippines sources its yellow corn requirement from the United States, Argentina and Brazil whenever there is a shortage. Yellow corn makes up 50 to 60 per cent of animal feeds. Any increase in the cost of yellow corn in the domestic market will have a corresponding impact on the retail price of pork and dressed chicken.

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5 November 2009] Pork importers and traders in the Philippines said they are unlikely to bring in the 2500 tonnes of pork  before the deadline set by the government. Meat Importers and Traders Association President Jesus Cham said that the government has only given importers up to December 2 to bring in the meat, however the arrival date is too soon because “it would take at least 60 days to ship the pork products.” The government earlier decided to allow as much as 20000 tonnes of pork imports after the country was hit by two successive typhoons in September and October. Mr Cham said that the importers tried negotiating with suppliers from the US, Canada and Europe, but none could commit to ship the products before the government deadline. Meanwhile, Agriculture Undersecretary Bernie Fondevilla said that the government is currently studying the possibility of extending the deadline.

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6 November 2009] The Philippine government's plan to import pork and and chicken meat for the Christmas season could bring down farm prices. Demand for chicken and pork meat products like hams traditionally picks up during the latter part of the year as Filipinos celebrate the holidays, but industry players say that demand from meat processing companies have slowed down. Some industry observers say that farm prices have not been moving much and people are still not buying. If that is the case, when the imports come, prices of the local meat products will likely go down to compete with the cheaper imports.

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Monday, November 09, 2009Print This Page
NMIS Accredits 19 Meat Plants in Cordillera Region
PHILIPPINES - The Philippine National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) is stepping up efforts in safeguarding meat, livestock and poultry industry in the region in its bid to protect the safety of the consuming public and promote the industry.



NMIS-CAR Regional Technical Director Dr Florencio Pintor said their office has accredited 19 meat establishments such as slaughterhouses, meat processing plants, meat cutting plants, and poultry dressing plant in the region.

Five were certified as having Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) based on the NMIS standards. The accreditation stands for a yearand if not maintained, the classification will be downgraded according to Dr Pintor.

GMP certified meat establishments, which fall under class "AA" are the Poultry Dressing Plant of Pamora in Pidigan, Abra; Meat Processing Plants of Josier Frozen Foods in Upper QM and Grow Foods Meat Products in Leonila Hill; Gismundo Slaughterhouse in Tuba, Benguet and Alabanza Private Abattoir in Tuba, Benguet.

NMIS-CAR Senior Meat Control Officer Dr Yvette Soller, who is among the few certified Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) auditors nationwide, said GMP compliance can be used as a starting point for controlling food safety risks from biological, physical and chemical hazards.

Dr Soller said HACCP certification which is mandatory for class "AAA" accredited establishments requires a more specific means of hazard identification. Class "AAA" refers to those with facilities and operational procedures appropriated to slaughter livestock and fowls for sale in any market, domestic or international.

Class "AA" refers to those with facilities and operational procedures sufficiently adequate that the livestock and poultry slaughtered is suitable for sale in any market within the country.

Class "A" refers to those with facilities and procedures of minimum adequacy that the livestock and fowls slaughtered are suitable for distribution and sale only within the city or municipality where the slaughterhouse is located.

Dr Pintor said that a product may have obtained a GMP or HACCP accreditation however, this again depends upon the level of retailers selling the products. If not placed in appropriate display facilities or storage areas then such kinds of accreditation is useless as the quality suffers, he stressed.

Dr Pintor also bared the establishments for upgrading of classification as follows: Lagawe Municipal Abattoir and Lamut Municipal Slaughterhouse (SLH) in Ifugao and Tabuk City Abattoir in Kalinga from class "A" to "AA" while the Bontoc Municipal Abattoir in Mt. Province accredited as class "AA" has application for upgrading.

Other NMIS accredited meat establishments in the region all under Class "A" are the Bangued Municipal SLH, Manabo Municipal SLH, and Tayum Municipal SLH in Abra; Pudtol Municipal SLH in Apayao; the Baguio City SLH, Lea's Frozen Foods, Leony's Frozen Foods, and Pig Planet Meat Products, all in Baguio; and the Philex Mines Abattoir in Benguet. The Kiangan Municipal SLH in Ifugao is still on the process of being accredited.

Meanwhile, in line with the National Meat Safety Week held last month, last week the NMIS recognised the regional winners in the 2009 Search for the Best Meat establishments in the Cordillera. These are the Pig Planet Meat Products located in Balacbac Road under class A for Meat Cutting Plant (Special Award); Lea's Frozen Foods in Aurora Hill and Grow Foods Meat Products in Leonila Hill, all in Baguio City, are the regional winners under class A and AA respectively for Meat Processing Plant; and Pamora Farm Incorporated in Pidigan, Abra under class AA (Special Award) for Poultry Dressing Plant.

For the Slaughterhouse, Lagawe Municipal Abattoir in Ifugao was adjudged as regional winner under class A, Gismundo Slaughterhouse in Tuba, Benguet as a regional winner under class AA while Alabanza Private Abattoir in Tuba, Benguet garnered a special award under class AA.

Lagawe Mayor Caesario Cabbigat shared the local government unit's experience in making operational the town- operated slaughterhouse which was established 12 years ago. His administration opted to develop with the guidance of the NMIS allotting P1.2 million for its completion. His political will drove him to adopt measures for meat vendors to use the slaughterhouse.

Mr Cabbigat admitted that initially businessmen who are into meat vending evaded the use of the slaughterhouse. A task force on bantay karne was created involving multi-sectoral groups and it worked. Businessmen soon realised the importance of the utilization of slaughterhouse and the assurance of quality of meat sold in the market, he said.

Alabanza Private Abattoir Proprietor Nancy Alabanza expressed her appreciation to the NMIS on the trainings and exposures they were accorded which paid off in improving their lot. She encouraged other owners of meat establishments to grab such opportunity which serves as a venue in exchanging ideas and a learning experience.

NMIS also recognised agency members of the Regional Committee on Meat Establishment Amenities and Technology (RECOMEAT) during the awarding ceremonies such the Department of Health and the Department of Interior and Local Government.


 

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Friday, November 13, 2009Print This Page
Hog Raisers Seek Lifting of Price Ceiling
PHILIPPINES - The country's local hog raisers are recommending the lifting of the price ceiling on pork by December, as farmgate prices are expected to rise in response to increased demand.



Albert Lim, president of the National Hog Raisers Association, said a price ceiling during a time of extremely high demand could cause a shortage in pork supply in Luzon.

He explained that the sow population in Luzon had decreased, causing a production shortfall. Supply from the Visayas and Mindanao, however, remained relatively high.

According to Inquirer, he said that to supply the shortfall in Luzon, pork from General Santos City could be brought to the region.

With a ceiling of P170 a kilo in effect, however, hog raisers might no longer be keen on sending supply over to Luzon.

"The current retail price is okay for now, considering the existing farmgate prices. But at this time, there’s not much demand yet. The Christmas demand is not yet here. By December, retail prices (without the ceiling) could reach P200-P220 a kilo," he said. "But we also don’t want prices to go too high. Around P200 a kilo should be reasonable."

He also noted that prices in General Santos had already increased due to demand, providing a disincentive for producers there to sell in Luzon if the price freeze would remain in effect.


 

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Wednesday, November 25, 2009Print This Page
Canada Offers to Sell Pork to Philippines
PHILIPPINES - Canada, whose annual pork production is 30 million hogs and which exports one million tons of pork products a year, is ready to help supply the Philippine market which is facing a shortage.



In an exclusive interview, Canadian Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway Stockwell Day told that The STAR that Canada is “ready to help meet the demand in the Philippines.”

Canada’s biggest export is agri-food and the Philippines, according to Day, is Canada’s 9th biggest destination for its agri-products.

Canadian exports to the Philippines last year amounted to C$559.5 million (at an exchange rate of C$1 = P45) or P25.177 billion.

The Philippines’ biggest export to Canada, on the other hand, is electrical machinery.

Canadian imports from the Philippines last year amounted to C$822.7 million or P37.021 billion.

Canadian foreign direct investments in the Philippines in 2008, likewise, is a healthy C$671 million or P30.195 billion.

One big Canadian investor in the mining sector is TVI Resources which operates in Mindanao.

Mr Day assured that as part of Canada’s investment thrust, it is implementing a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for all Canadian firms.

However, Mr Day evaded a direct answer to questions about the entry of more Philippines fruits and food products to Canada.

According to Mr Day, Canada looks at the phyto-sanitary practices of its neighbors to learn and align their own standards.

Philippine fruit products to Canada faces nearly the same hurdles it must go through to access the US market which is Canada’s southern neighbor.

Canada, Mr Day also revealed, is looking at “strengthening linkages” through more bilateral regional trade arrangements similar to the North American Free Trade Arrangement (NAFTA) even as it also adheres to the global World Trade Organization (WTO) system.

“We are always looking for ways to facilitate trade,” Mr Day assured.

Aside from agri-foods, Mr Day said, Canada is also offering opportunities for ties in investment and financial services, as well as insurance as Canada has proven that it can offer more stability than its neighbor

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Philippine Govt Prescribes Pork and Chicken Prices
PHILIPPINES - The government yesterday announced suggested retail prices (SRP) for pork, chicken and also sugar during the holiday season, to be implemented in Metro Manila initially.



The reference prices, issued as a non-binding guide for both sellers and buyers, were agreed upon by the government and the private sector in a meeting on Friday, according to ABS-CBN News.

The SRPs, effective yesterday, are as follows: P41-P43 per kilogram for white sugar, P135-P145/kg for whole dressed chicken, P160-P165/kg for pork kasim and P170-P175/kg for pork liempo.

"Initially, that will be implemented in the National Capital Region," Agriculture Undersecretary Salvador S. Salacup said in a phone interview yesterday.

He added that after a review, the government might expand SRP coverage to the rest of the country.

In a statement, Mr Salacup said the price band would serve as a guide for farmers, slaughterhouse operators, meat dealers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers.

Ahead of the holiday season, prices of pork prime cuts and sugar rose late last week to P155-P190/kg and P42-P46/kg, respectively, from P150-P190/kg and P40-P42/kg the previous week, data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics show.

Chicken prices, however, kept steady at P130-P150/kg.

Prevailing prices were also higher than the P160-P180/kg for pork, P120-P140/kg for chicken and P38-P40/kg for sugar late last month.

Employees of the Agriculture and Trade department "will regularly make the rounds of retail outlets every morning to ensure that sellers follow the SRPs," Mr Salacup said.

Furthermore, the departments "will conduct a weekly review to find out whether we should lower or raise the SRPs, or whether it is already time to lift them considering several factors affect the volatility of agricultural commodity prices," he added.

Asked to comment, industry leaders welcomed the scheme.

"Right now, I agree with the prices," Albert R.T. Lim, Jr., president of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc., said yester-day in a separate phone interview.

"But in mid-December, [suggested] prices should increase."

"It is only during [the holidays] when piggery owners earn more," he said, adding that "if prices are really high, consumers have the choice to shift to chick-en."

Elias Jose M. Inciong, external vice-president of the United Broiler Raisers’ Association, said "That pricing scheme is good…it gives the consumers the idea what will be the reasonable price."

In October last year, the government and industries concerned agreed to cut retail prices of pork cuts to P140-150/kg from as high as P180-P190/kg to spur demand.

Chicken was not subjected to SRP, ABS-CBN News reports.

Furthermore, the Agriculture department said 8,000 metric tons (MT) pork and 8,000 MT chicken imports will start to arrive this week until early next year to plug a supply gap.

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Mindanao hog producers calls for separate biosecurity region. Mindanao hog farmers are calling on the government to declare Mindanao as a separate biosecurity region in order to boost the development and growth of the industry in the island as well as boost the export potential of its pork meat and pork products. By doing this, Mindanao will avoid being tagged with Luzon and Visayas in reporting biosecurity issues. Pork producers in Mindanao has been looking forward to exporting pork meat and pork products to Singapore since the country expressed its interest in sourcing these products from the region, which the Office Internationale des Epizooties had declared and recognised as FMD-free for many years now. However, the initial shipment to Singapore that was scheduled to take place in December 2008 was halted when the Philippines voluntarily suspended exports following the that the Ebola Reston virus was detected in blood samples from pigs in Luzon.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010Print This Page
Gov’t Bans Imports of Pork from South Korea
PHILIPPINES - The government has banned imports of pork from South Korea, as well as poultry and live birds from the same country and Taiwan, an Agriculture official said over the weekend.



Davinio P. Catbagan, director of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), said in a phone interview that the ban on pork, poultry products and live birds from South Korea was issued on 5 January, while the one on poultry and live birds from Taiwan was issued on 26 January.

He attributed the ban to reports of outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) as well as low-pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, in those economies.

According to BusinessWorld, on 30 January, South Korea reported its sixth FMD case in a cattle farm north of Seoul.

The same country reported on 26 January that tests conducted in December last year confirmed that about 26,000 ducks in a farm in Seosan City were infected with the H5 strain of bird flu.

Taiwan, on the other hand, reported on 21 January that 7,000 chickens in a farm in Changhua County, Taiwan died of the virus.

Last year, the Philippines imported 114.36 million kilograms of pork, 7.6 per cent of which came from South Korea. But the Philippines does not import poultry or poultry products from either South Korea or Taiwan.

BAI data show that the local livestock sector lost about P2.3 billion to FMD between 1995-2005. The country has not had any reported case of the disease since then.

The Philippines has a pending application with the World Organization for Animal Health for "FMD-free without vaccination" status for Luzon -- the remaining part of the country without such certification.

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Philippines await FMD-free certification from OIE
[17 February 2010] The Philippines is hoping that the Office Internationale des Epizooties (OIE) will certify the whole island of Luzon as FMD-free when it evaluates the country's application in March. Bureau of Animal Industry Director Dr Davinio Catbagan said that experts from the OIE has helped craft the documents for evaluation, and have suggested the Luzon be divided into three zones. Dr Reildrin Morales, National Coordinator of the Bureau’s FMD program, said that FMD vaccination has been withdrawn for almost two years in two zones but less than 12 months in the third.

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Philippine hog production inched up 1.2% in 2009
[2 February 2010] Philippine hog production rose by a mere 1.2% in 2009, but this is still better than the 1.6% contraction it suffered in 2008. Figures released by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) showed that hog production last year neared 1.88 million tonnes, better than 2008's 1.86 million tonnes but still less than 2007's 1.89 million tonnes. Valuewise, hog production grossed roughly PHP 161.15 billion (USD 3.45 billion), an improvement of 5.91% from 2008's PHP 152.15 billion (USD 3.26 billion). The sector remains the second leading contributor to the entire gross value of Philippine agriculture for the year, accounting for 13.56% of the total. The improvement has been attributed to increased production volume as well as better prices which grew by 4.7% to PHP 85.84 (USD 1.84)/kg in 2009 from PHP 81.99 (USD 1.76)/kg the previous year. BAS credited the industry's better performance in 2009 to the increase in the number of finishing stocks in the Visayas and Mindanao and the control of the Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS).

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Philippine pork supply remains tight, higher prices expected
[1 February 2010] Despite the improving output of the Philippine hog industry, the country will continue to experience a tight supply of pork meat at least until April 2010. Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said that at least for the first four months of the year, pork supply will remain tight as many pig farms are still recovering from the PRRS outbreak that hit the country in the last few years. However, he added that there are currently no plans to allow special importation. Meanwhile, Bureau of Animal Industry Director Dr Davinio Catbagan said that pig and poultry production might be affected by the El Niño phenomenon that the country is currently experiencing, which could bring an extended drought. Dr Catbagan said the livestock and poultry sectors combined stand to lose as much as PHP 10 billion (PHP 214.13 million) as a result of the dry spell, which would stunt the growth of the animals.

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ERV diagnostic lab in Philippines gets upgrade
[22 February 2010] The Philippine Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recently inaugurated the renovated Ebola Diagnostic Laboratory at BAI's Philippine Animal Health Centre. The upgraded laboratory now has the capacity to conduct antigen and antibody detection of the Ebola Reston virus (ERV), and the BAI said the lab will provide vital support in the quick diagnosis, surveillance and monitoring of the virus in the field. It will also help establish the prevalence of the virus in pigs and help to better understand its animal-human-wildlife interface. Pork producers in the Philippines welcomed the development, saying this will help the Philippines in its plans to export its pork meat and pork products.

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Dry Spell Causes Chicken, Pork Prices to Rise
PHILIPPINES - Aside from causing daily power outages in parts of the Philippines, the ongoing dry spell is also causing the prices of chicken and pork to increase.



According to All Headline News, a party-list representative estimates retail prices of the two types of meat typically bought by Filipino households may go up by $0.10 a kilo (5 pesos) by April or May.

Representative Nicanor Briones of the Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines explained the upcoming price increase to cost of corn feed used in chicken and poultry farms to a $0.07 (3.50 pesos) per kilo hike in corn feed prices.

Because of the El Nino phenomenon about $239 million (11 billion pesos) worth of agricultural crops have been lost in 14 provinces, the bulk of the losses are rice and corn crops. Representative Briones forecasts the loss of the agricultural sector will go up to $434 million (20 billion pesos) until the dry spell ends.

In Bacolod City, Agriculture Regional Director Larry Nacionales warns Negros Occidental $137 million (6.3 billion pesos) poultry industry is at risk because of El Nino. The province has a stock of four million native chickens and fighting cocks and produces 1.5 million broilers monthly - which are all at risk because of the dry spell.

So far $66,050 (3.04 million pesos) worth of losses in hog, livestock and poultry have been recorded in 21 towns and cities of Negros Occidental, Mr Nacionales said. To help the animal farmers, the provincial agricultural office distributed vaccines and drugs to the hog and poultry raisers.

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Sufficient supply of chicken and pork
[16 March 2010] Filipino consumers have been assured of adequate supply of chicken and pork meat. Bureau of Animal Industry Director Dr Davinio Catbagan said that currently, there is no need for any additional chicken and pork imports. While there is enough chicken, he did acknowledge that pork production is still down. Nevertheless, supply will be able to meet the demand, which currently remain weak. This is not helped by the fact that retail prices of pork and chicken remains high at around PHP 170-180 (USD 3.72-3.94)/kg and PHP 130-140 (USD 2.85-3.07)/kg respectively. Farm prices of live hogs currently hovers around PHP 115 (USD 2.52) with broilers at around PHP  58-69 (USD 1.27-1.51)/kg. Local poultry raisers have asked the government to implement suggested retail prices for chicken to temper retail prices and help push up demand for the commodity.