Title 1: Source:

PORK SHIPMENTS TO MALAYSIA COULD START EARLY 12 Business World, December 8, 2011

The Philippines may begin pork shipments to Malaysia by early next year if a triple A slaughterhouses facility in Cavite gets the approval from Malaysian regulators to export such products there, Agriculture officials said yesterday. Agriculture Assistant Secretary Davinio Catbagan told reporters on the sidelines of an event marking the eradication of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the country that the Philippines may start its shipments of pork to Malaysia as soon as the triple A slaughterhouse in Dasmarinas City in Cavite is allowed by Malaysian regulators. National Meat Inspection Service Executive Director Jane Bacayo told reporters in the same event yesterday that owners of the triple A slaughterhouse filled the application for accreditation to export pork with Malaysian regulators in October. He said the required documents have been filed but that a team from the Department of Veterinary Services of Malaysia still needed to visit the facility before it can give the approval to begin shipments. Our target is to start shipping 100 tons of pork per month there, Mr. Bacayo said, adding that Malaysia wants to buy pork from the Philippines so they will have an available supply for tourists. Their requirement is 1,000 heads per day, he said. The country had planned to export pork to Malaysia in August which would have marked its first shipment of the product overseas but that did not push through as talks between the exporting firm in Bulacan and the Malaysian firm had yet to be finalized. In December 2009, the countrys planned shipment of pork to Singapore was voluntarily suspended by a company in Matutum in South Cotabato after the detection of the Ebola Reston virus in a farm in Luzon. In May, the country received certification from the World Organization for Animal Health that it was completely free of FMD without need for vaccination. Mr. Bacayo said at the same event that the Agriculture department is likewise aiming to complete the construction of two of the planned five triple A slaughterhouses next year, to allow pork producers to take advantage of export opportunities. He said in an earlier interview that the Agriculture department had earmarked P180 million for the construction of the five triple A slaughterhouses next year.

We want to work on two (triple A slaughterhouses) in Luzon first. We are looking at Bulacan or Pampanga and Batangas, Mr. Bacayo said, adding that the department would focus on putting up the slaughterhouses in Luzon first since many of these facilities are located outside of the region. He said that apart from the triple A slaughterhouses in Cavite, the other triple A slaughterhouses in the country are located in South Cotabato, Davao City and Mandaue City in Cebu. A triple A slaughterhouse in Negros Occidental, he said, will likewise open soon. We are going to partner with the local government units who can provide the land for the slaughterhouse but the operations will be under the private sector, Mr. Bacayo said. Mr. Catbagan said the department would also be open to lending funds to private firms planning to put up their own triple A slaughterhouses. Title 2: Source: PORK SUPPLY SUFFICIENT, BUT DEMAND IS LOW Malaya, November 8, 2011

There is enough supply of pork in the market, its the buying capacity of the consumers that is keeping the countrys hog industry down, said Agriculture Assistant Secretary Davinio P. Catbagan. Catbagan said that even during election periods and in December, demand of pork has always remained low. We have enough pork to last us next year, particularly in the first quarter, he said. Catbagan also revealed that an increase of 40 percent in budget was given to the Deparment of Agricultures (DA) livestock productam. The bulk of that increase will go to post harvest facilities he said. The DA will invest P300 million in the first half of next year in triple A slaughterhouses in a bid to improve the quality of meat products and export them to Malaysia, China, South Korea and Singapore. Catbagan said that the proposed abattoirs in Luzon are expected to qualify for the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) accreditation. Class AAA abattoirs are facilities and operational procedures appropriated to slaughter livestock and fowls for sale in any market, both local and abroad. We will be able to reduce our dependence on imports by 30 percent, he said.

We are planning to put up the slaughterhouses in Batangas, Pampanga or Bulacan, where the density of the pig population is quite heavy, he said. Earlier, Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, Inc (ProPork) and the National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc (NFHFI) urged for lesser importation of prok since local supply is high. We should also limit imports because many of our countrymen, most of them small hog raisers, depend on the industry for their livelihood,: said Edwin Chen, president of ProPork, adding the hog industry is second only to rice as the biggest contributor to agriculture in terms of value. The hog raisers also sought transparency and stricter measures from the Bureau of Customs. Zosimo J. De Leon, chairman of NFHFI, said the importation, most expecially the smuggling of pork, means unfair competition to local producers, most of them backyard farmers, Title 3: Source: SMC SEES 50% HIKE IN CHICKEN SHIPMENTS The Manila Standard, December 12, 2011

San Miguel Foods Philippines Inc, the countrys biggest chicken exporter, expects shipments to rise 50 percent in 2012 following a surge in demand for yakitori chicken in Japan. More yakitori restaurants are opening in Japan. The demand is growing rapidly but we are well equipped to meet the increase in volume, said Rita Palabyab, San Miguel Foods vice president for poultry. San Miguel reported a 75 increase in yakitori chicken exports to Japan this year. The company declined to provide to volume, citing competition in the market. San Miguel Foods said the major earthquake in Japan and other prefectures increased the demand for imported chicken. San Miguel said it was also keen on tapping other countries in Asia and the Middle East for its yakitori chicken. Japan, however, will remain the companys major market for yakitori chicken. The Japanese market accounts for 90 percent of the companys shipments. Government data showed that countrys total yakitori exports to Japan reached 3.51 million kilograms in 2010, up 63 percent from 2.15 million kilos in 2009.

San Miguel is the countrys top exporter of yakitori chicken to Japan. Other exporters are Reitoh Cold Storage Corp, Silangan Filtrade and Win-Win. Inc.