PRRS Kills 700 Pigs in Central Luzon
PHILIPPINES - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) has been blamed for the deaths of more than 700 pigs in 15 towns of Pampanga province in the Central Luzon region.



Some 60 barangays districts in 15 towns of Pampanga were affected by the Porcine Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS) virus that killed at least 700 pigs out of the 3,138 animals in the province and affected 170 farmers, according to Business Mirror.

Dr Augusto Baluyut of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said the PRRS-affected towns are San Luis, Porac, Lubao, Guagua, San Fernando, Santa Ana, Bacolor, San Simon, Minalin, Sasmuan, Mexico, Santa Rita, Santo Tomas, Apalit and Arayat.

However, Dr Baluyut said, as of now the PRRS virus is only active in Guagua and Santa Rita, as the PVO has already neutralised its occurrence in the other towns.

Dr Baluyut shared that the PRRS cases emanated from the two piglets a mattress vendor bought from San Pablo Propio in San Simon. The mattress vendor sold his product in Pangasinan province in exchange for the two piglets.

He added that his office has conducted massive PRRS vaccination on 10,000 pigs and disinfection of PRRS-affected piggeries.

The PVO also collected blood samples from infected pigs which were brought to the Department of Agriculture's laboratory and where the samples were found to have the PRRS virus.

Business Mirror reports that a virus first isolated and classified as an arterivirus in 1991 causes PRRS. The disease was first recognised in the US in the mid-1980s and was called the mystery swine disease or blue ear disease. The virus spreads via a pig's nasal secretions, saliva, faeces and urine. Field studies suggest it can be airborne for up to three kilometers. An infected pig that survives for three months is considered a carrier of the virus. Other pigs may survive longer than three months, although the animal may not be shedding the virus.

Artificial insemination can be a potential means of spreading the virus, if semen from an animal whose blood carries the virus particularly during the first three- to four-week period following the breakdown of the stud. Outside this period field evidence indicates the risk of spread in semen is very low from previously infected groups of boars. Adult animals excrete the virus for much shorter periods of time—14 days—compared with growing pigs, which can excrete for one to two months. PRRSV may infect foetuses from mid-pregnancy onward and is excreted in the pig's salvia, colostrum and milk.

Bryan M. Retales New Manager of TOPIGS Philippines
PHILIPPINES - TOPIGS is pleased to announce the appointment of Bryan M. Retales, DMV as manager of TOPIGS Philippines with effect from May 2009.


Bryan M. RetalesMr Retales (34) has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer and has broad experience in the pig industry. Before joining TOPIGS, Mr Retales worked as a marketing manager and a training manager for a pharmaceutical company. He also has experience as manager of a local pig breeding company.

TOPIGS Philippines is one of the county’s leading suppliers of pig genetics. The headquarters of TOPIGS Philippines is based in Pasig City, Metro Manila.

TOPIGS is a world leader in pig genetics and the absolute market leader in several countries. TOPIGS is the biggest genetic supplier in Europe. Worldwide TOPIGS is one of the major genetic suppliers. Excellent breeding programmes and the resulting customer commitment are the key to TOPIGS’ success

Finance Dept Considers Duty on Feed Wheat
PHILIPPINES - The finance department does not oppose proposals to extend the zero duty on food wheat but is more cautious on doing so for wheat for animal feed.

"[We have] no objection [to the proposal extending the zero tariff on food wheat]. What is important is to make sure that there will be no misdeclaration of imports," Rosalia V. de Leon, chief of staff of Finance Secretary, Margarito B. Teves, told Business World Online in a phone interview last week.

"We have to make sure that we avoid smuggling and misdeclaration of feed wheat as food wheat. The [Bureau of] Customs is already doing something to monitor that," she added.

Ms de Leon, who is also officer in charge of the Finance department's international finance group, explained that feed wheat imports are now slapped a seven per cent duty.

She added that foregone revenues from the removal of duties on wheat are "small" but declined to cite figures.

Last November, Malacañang issued Executive Order 765, which suspended the imposition of tariffs on milling and feed wheat imports for six months from January to help importers cope with soaring commodity prices in the world market.

When asked if the department will also support the extension of the zero tariff on feed wheat, Ms de Leon said this will have to be studied further. "We have to see its revenue implications. We also have to look at compensating measures in case this [extension] is implemented," she said.

Prior to the issuance of the Palace order, the tariff rate on food wheat from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations stood at three per cent, and five per cent for those imported elsewhere prior to the Palace order.

The order expired on 21 June but Malacañang said it is considering extending a zero tariff on feed wheat by another six months.

The Cabinet Tariff Reform Matters Committee, however, has recommended the scrapping of duty-free feed wheat importation amid protests from hog and poultry farmers and feed millers who said this could raise meat prices.

The Agricultural Alliance, a group composed of hog and poultry farmers and feed millers, has claimed that feeds account for as much as 70 per cent of costs in raising hogs and poultry.

Corn farmers, however, oppose the extension of this privilege for feed wheat, which is an alternative to corn, concludes the Business World Online report.


 

3 July 2009] Brazilian pork producers have complained that the Philippines is blocking pork imports and the Brazilian Association of Pork Exporters has threatened to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization. Bloomberg reported that Association President Pedro de Camargo Neto will ask the Brazilian government to file the protest if the Philippines does not provide access within 60 days. He said they have been seeking market access to the Philippines since 2002 and  Brazil's pork plants had been cleared by Philippine veterinary inspection teams. However, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has not signed a document that would clear the way for Brazilian pork imports into the Philippines.

District Office Rejects Site For Pig Abattoir
PHILIPPINES - The Pendang District Office has rejected the proposed building of a pig abattoir in Kampung Cina as the site is found to be unsuitable and also because of objections from the residents.



District officer Abdul Shukor Abdul Ghani said the decision was reached following a study by the relevant departments whose officers visited the village recently.

"From the study, the Department of Environment (DOE), Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) and Muda Agriculture Development Authority (MADA) unanimously agreed that the location of the proposed pig abattoir is unsuitable as it will be near houses and will pollute the area," he said here Sunday.

Abdul Shukor said the building of the proposed abattoir only about 100 metres away from the residents' homes also failed to meet the condition for a buffer zone which should be 500 metres as stipulated by the DOE.

Besides that, he added, the land owner who had agreed to lease out the land for the abattoir today withdrew from the deal after taking into consideration the residents' interests.

Abdul Shukor was speaking to reporters after receiving a protest memorandum over the abattoir project from the Pendang district 4B Youth movement chairman, Ramli Abu Bakar.

According to Bernama, some time ago, more than 100 residents of Kampung China marched from the Pendang Umno building to the District Office to protest the location of the proposed pig abattoir in their village.

A resident, Edin Chok Edin Proot, 52, said the residents protested against the move as the abattoir would also be near the Buddhist temple where most of the Siamese residents prayed.

He said if the pig abattoir was built in the village, the lives of more than 800 residents would be affected as they would be facing a serious pollution problem.

"We object to the abattoir project in our area and hope the state government will reconsider the decision and find another site," he said.

Backyard hog raising, poultry businesses surge amid crisis

CEBU CITY — While other industries, especially manufacturing, continue to feel the brunt of the global financial crunch, hog raising and other agricultural livelihood endeavors continue to prosper, a local agribusiness entrepreneur said.

“We are an agricultural country and majority of our GNP (gross national product) comes from this sector so we need to focus and rediscover its strength,” said JM Poultry and Livestock Supply President Avelino de Manuel, whose company stands as the marketing arm of Universal Feedmill Corp.

De Manuel said agribusiness, particularly hog and poultry raising, remains among the most resilient businesses despite the recent economic slowdown since agriculture is in line with the national government’s food security program.

“Hog raising continues to be bullish even during the crisis,” he said, noting a growing number of hog raisers in several areas of Cebu and neighboring provinces.

In almost every rural household in the Philippines, hog raising is a very popular enterprise such that there is a proliferation of backyard producers which dominates the swine industry, De Manuel added.

Citing industry figures, he said the country’s backyard hog raising business accounts for 80 percent while 20 percent are commercial hog raisers.

De Manuel urged Filipinos, especially those whose job security are now at risk, to venture into agribusiness as an income alternative.

Other than providing a secondary source of income for small families, he pointed out that hog raising is a fast-growing home-based business which has the potential for high profits in a relatively short period of time.

“With a capital investment of P12,000 you can invest in one sow,” he said, adding that investment returns can be expected after eight months.P50,000, one can already engage in the operation of an agri-vet shop, said De Manuel.

For a capital outlay of

As a sign of confidence in the country’s agribusiness industry, De Manuel said his 25-year-old company is set to expand in Samar and Leyte by yearend. At present, JM Poultry and Livestock supply has 43 branches in Visayas and Mindanao, 12 of them in Cebu.

But even as the prospects for agribusiness is upbeat, De Manuel said the lack of support from the government has hampered its growth. The country, he said, lags behind Vietnam, Thailand and other Southeast Asian counterparts in maximizing industry potentials.

Another factor he cited was the lack of proper education in hog raising and other agricultural livelihood.

De Manuel said 85 percent of the province’s hog raisers have not adapted to new technologies. He said the adaptation of these technologies will ensure that the hogs are in best condition once it is ready for selling.

Written by Malou M. Mozo

16 July 2009] Swine producers in Mindanao, Philippines that were certified to raise hogs for the country's first pork meat exports have threatened to back out due to a perceived slow action on the Ebola Reston infection detected in Luzon last year. Emilio V. Escobillo, Jr, President of the South Cotabato Swine Producers Association, said producers have lost interest to take part in the pilot pork shipment to Singapore because of the delay in the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to declare Mindanao as Ebola Reston virus-free.

San Miguel Food Group Posts Higher Profits
PHILIPPINES - San Miguel Purefoods Co. Inc. (SMPFC) has posted a 26-per-cent increase in first half profits this year and expects sales to reach 80 billion pesos (PHP) for the year.



Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that SMPFC, the food unit of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), posted a 26-per-cent increase in first half profit to PHP 541 million over a year ago on the back of higher prices of feeds and poultry and cost reduction programmes.

SMPFC officials reported during the recent stockholders' meeting that sales went up by 12 per cent in the first six months versus a year ago to PHP 36.4 billion, as higher selling prices partially covered the increase in raw material costs.

SMPFC vice chair and SMC president, Ramon Ang, said: "We are already implementing actions that should generate stronger profits for our food business, particularly in the second half.

"We're going to continue to manage higher input costs through pricing actions and operating excellence and we have made progress in several important areas of our company, particularly product innovation, more effective marketing and distribution and manufacturing efficiencies."

SMPFC expects to end the year with PHP 80 billion in revenue, up 12 per cent from last year.

Aside from the higher selling price of the feeds and poultry businesses and cost reduction programmes, profits were also boosted by the turnaround in the operations of dairy unit Magnolia in the first six months, according to Philippine Daily Inquirer.

31 July 2009] Pork prices in the Philippines is likely to go up as backyard pig production continues to fall due to diseases and rising production costs. Data from the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc (NFHFI) show that farm prices of live hogs is currently around PHP 82-84 (USD 1.70-1.74)/kg for backyard farmers, while the price is about PHP 89-91 (USD 1.85-1.89)/kg for commercial raisers. In the retail market, pork prices hover between PHP 160-170 (USD 3.32-3.53)/kg. Pork producers blame the wide gap between farm and retail prices on the inability of the government to implement some form or price control on retail prices.

31 July 2009] Philippine meat processors will no longer need to secure a license from the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), but need only to get accreditation from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) once administrative order to eliminate the functional overlap is signed. Agriculture Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup said that processors and traders will benefit from the new system, which will give the NMIS sole jurisdiction over meat establishments, including licensing, registration and certification of meat products. However, the BFAD will  continue to oversee the regulation of products that contain a 'relatively small portion' of meat or historically have not been considered as meat products. The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc welcomed the move, saying it would be better for them to deal with only one agency.

Hi Mikey,

Good Day!

Thank you for your updates.  It's really a lot of help for all of us, members of pinoyagribusiness.

 

You are welcome.We are all in this together.Information is key to any business venture.

Best of luck to all:
mikey

[3 August 2009] Pig producers in Mindanao have hit the government's slow action on the Ebola Reston virus (ERV) that was detected in pigs from Luzon last year which has tainted the entire industry nationwide and has led to the delay in pork shipments to Singapore. Emilio Escobillo Jr, President of the South Cotabato Swine Producers Association said the Department of Agriculture is taking too long to declare Mindanao ERV-free, although there has been no outbreak of the disease in the region. About five pig producers in Central and Southern Mindanao have been accredited to provide hogs for pork meat but at least one has already threatened to back out. The first shipment of pork from the Philippines to Singapore was supposed to have been in December last year, but this was halted after the DA admitted that ERV was detected in some samples from hog farms in Luzon.

San Miguel to sell stake in Purefoods to fund diversification
[3 August 2009] Philippine food and beverage conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC)  has confirmed plans to sell up to a 49% stake in San Miguel Pure Foods Co Inc (SMPFC) to help fund its various ventures. It is already in talks with overseas investors. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, SMC said the move is consistent with the company’s strategy to keep 51% of its core businesses, as previously approved by its stockholders.” SMC President Ramon Ang said they hope to complete the sale within six months. SMPFC manufactures and sells processed meat products and has also diversified into poultry and livestock operations, feeds and flour milling, dairy and coffee operations, franchising and young animal ration manufacturing and distribution.

Hypor-Hypig Renew Commitment to Philippine Industry
PHILIPPINES - Hypor B.V. announced today that it has extended its partnership agreement with Hypig Genetics Inc/ Bounty Fresh Group based in The Philippines. The partnership began in 2005, with Hypor genetics filling Hypig breeding farms throughout 2006. The partnership has served as a model for building and sustaining pork production in The Philippines.

(L-R) Evaristo Macalino DVM - General Manager Hypor Manila; Engr. Tennyson Chen – Managing Director of HyPig / President of BFFI: Raf Beeren - Deputy Managing Director Hypor; Arch. Edwin Chen – President of HyPig / Managing Director of BFFI; Mr. Arceo Alfonso - AVP Operations of HyPig; Mr. Ray Proost – General Manager of HyPig; Mr. Edrick Chen – Management Trainee of HyPigRaf Beeren, Deputy Managing Director Hypor says, "This is a clear sign that both Hypig/Bounty and Hypor have full confidence in the Philippine market. Hypig’s great team and extensive market knowledge combined with Hypor’s unique product lines and technical expertise has proven to be very successful in this market."

Architect Edwin Chen, President of Hypig Genetics Inc. says that the initial performance results and the feedback they are getting from Hypor products in the field are very positive. 'The ongoing Hypor/Hypig alliance will greatly benefit the Philippine Swine Industry by showing how efficient pork production can be obtained with good genetics, effective management, proper nutrition and sound health of the animals. The Hypor/Hypig success is a benchmark for the Philippine Swine Industry.'

The Hypor model for business to business cooperation continues to lead to long-term sustainable development of pork production expansion in the Asian Market.