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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) — Bureau of Animal Industry has signed a partnership with the University of Minnesota Center for Animal Health and Food Safety to capacitate the Philippines on food safety better.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Wednesday during the conclusion of the US – Philippines Agribusiness Trade Mission: Briefing on Philippine Livestock, Poultry, and Fishery Sectors in Quezon City.
“The MOU aims to combine research and practice in the detection and control of agricultural pests and diseases such as the African Swine Fever (ASF), as well as to employ international standards for the trade of animal products,” DA said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The issue of ASF continues to hound hog raisers in the country.
For instance, the General Santos City government recently ordered the immediate culling of backyard hogs in a village there amid another confirmed incursion of the ASF, the second since January this year. — Andy Hoo, INQUIRER.net trainee