3rd National Livestock and Poultry Month honors ‘banyuhay’ of Phl livestock, poultry subsectors

In honor of the growth and transformation of the Philippine livestock and poultry industries following the consecutive blows by the outbreak of transboundary animal diseases, the COVID-19 pandemic, and more, the Department of Agriculture (DA) formally launched the 3rd National Livestock and Poultry Month on October 9.

This year’s event was spearheaded by the DA Office of the Undersecretary for Livestock together with the DA-National Livestock Program (NLP) and its livestock attached agencies: Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), National Dairy Authority (NDA), National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), and the Agricultural Training Institute – International Training Center on Pig Husbandry (ATI-ITCPH).

With the theme, “Banyuhay: Bagong Anyo at Buhay: Pagpapalakas sa Industriya ng Paghahayupan Bilang Tugon sa Pagkamit ng Seguridad sa Pagkain at Wastong Nutrisyon,” the celebration honors the great strides made by the Department alongside the country’s 2.8 million livestock and poultry farmers—as per the September 15, 2023 data of the DA-Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA)—to rise above every challenge throughout the years.

The DA-NLP reported that as of September 15, the Integrated National Swine Production Initiatives for Recovery and Expansion (INSPIRE) Program, one of the DA’s twin programs to counter the impacts of the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak, had already distributed 85,601 sentinel pigs to over 32,437 ASF-affected farmers; 616 farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) had benefited from project packages; 56 FCA members had received grants to procure 9,240 breeders; 19 FCAs and 23 local government units (LGUs) had been awarded with a P10-million project to establish 30-sow level multiplier farms; and 11 FCAs and 16 LGUs had received 8-boar “AI sa Barangay” Centers.

“Simula po noong second quarter ng 2022, positive na po ang growth ng ating swine industry. At siyempre po, nanguna po ang ating Departamento upang muling makabawi ang ating mga magbababoy mula sa ASF,” said DA-NLP Director Dr. ruth Miclat-Sonaco.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Native Animal Development (PNAD)—a joint effort of the DA-NLP,