GAHP campaign intensified in CAR

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) – CAR organized a seminar on Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP) Certification and Requirements on October 19, 2017 at the New Rajah Soliman Hotel and Restaurant, Baguio City.

The Local Government Units (LGU) of Benguet, Provincial Veterinary Office Benguet, Baguio City Veterinary Office and farmers were the attendees of the said activity.

Dr. Cameron Odsey, DA-CAR Regional Technical Director for Research and Regulatory, stressed the significance of food safety, especially with the impending ASEAN integration. “We shouldn’t be satisfied with just backyard farming. Let us teach our farmers how to do business in the right way,” he said.

During the seminar, several topics were discussed to enlighten the participants on the importance of GAHP and the process of acquiring the certification. One was the ASEAN integration, which means free-flow of goods among the 10 member countries but following sanitary and phytosanitary practices.

Another topic is the GAHP Code of Practice for farmers to strictly follow from their production to the end-product.

Allysa Estaris from the Environment Management Bureau - Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMBDENR), related the impact of livestock farming to the environment.

The Environment Clearance Certificate (ECC) and Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC) are issued by DENR as part of the requirements for GAHP.

The Animal Welfare Act was discussed thoroughly, with a focus on animal treatment and its effect to the quality of meat.

This seminar aims to inform the participants on the Philippine National Standards (PNS) to better adapt on the minimum requirements needed. Also, this serves as an avenue for livestock stakeholders as service providers to have a solid grasp on this matter. Department of Agriculture Release