Batangas starts regulating piggeries, too

SAN PEDRO, Laguna—Considering that fish cages are not solely responsible for the Taal Lake water pollution, the government will soon require backyard piggeries to secure a permit to operate to ensure that the hog raisers, too, comply with environment laws.

Batangas City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Laudemir Salac on Wednesday said his office would require backyard hog raisers to seek a permit from the Protected Area Management Bureau.

Among the requirements, he said, are for piggeries to have their own waste deposit lagoons and settling ponds.

“Should they fail these requirements, we will also have to close  down the piggery,” said Salac.

Since last week, the environment office has been preparing its inventory of the backyard piggeries, mostly in the town of Mataas na Kahoy, in an effort to monitor waste disposal into the river tributaries.

“(While) we admit that fish cages are not the only source of water pollutants, backyard piggeries are depositing their wastes into creeks and rivers (thus causing lake pollution),” said Salac, who also sits as vice chair of the Task Force Taal Lake of the Batangas provincial government.

Operations of commercial piggeries are currently regulated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that issues environmental compliance certificates.

On the other hand, the operations of backyard hog raisers with less than 100 hogs are under the supervision of the local government unit.

Salac said the task force has coordinated with the local government units surrounding the Taal Lake with regard to backyard piggery operators.