LGUs told to prepare to take over meat inspection, safety processes

BAGUIO CITY—Officials of the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) appealed to Cordillera leaders to prioritize meat inspection services when the agency devolves its function to local governments.

Dr. Florencio Pintor, acting NMIS director in the Cordillera, said devolution is needed because the NMIS lacks meat inspectors and there is a shortage of slaughterhouses in the country.

Pintor said passing on the function of meat inspection to local governments is needed to protect consumers in the provinces.

Last week, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and NMIS convened here the Meat Inspectors Congress, where local officials, veterinarians, meat inspectors and DA officials discussed issues confronting their sector.

NMIS officials also discussed proper meat inspection, sanitation, technology and labeling of meat products during the congress.

Dr. Fernando Lontoc, head of the NMIS’ accreditation, registration and enforcement division, said the country only has some 200 accredited meat inspectors and more than 100 slaughterhouses to service 138 cities and 1,496 towns.

“There are many towns that do not prioritize [the construction of] slaughterhouses,” he said.

Dr. Romeo Capa, regional technical director of NMIS in southern Tagalog, said local governments should have enough slaughterhouses and meat inspectors to make devolution work.

“If you don’t have slaughterhouses, you can never be sure if the meat being sold in the market is really safe. There are many animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans,” Capa said.

Lontoc said to remedy the problem, the government is giving local governments 50 percent of the budget needed for the rehabilitation of their slaughterhouses.

But he asked local governments to use the funds properly, citing the bad experience of NMIS with two Cordillera towns that failed to rehabilitate or build slaughterhouses despite fund allotments. Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon