LIVESTOCK MONITORING. The Provincial Veterinary Office of Batangas is eyeing to launch the Batangas Animal Movement Reporting Approach to Control Diseases (BARACO), an application that will unify the processing of permits for moving poultry and cattle from cities and municipalities of the province. The proposal is also seen to help the local livestock industry combat diseases such as Avian influenza and African swine fever. (PNA file photo)
BATANGAS CITY – The Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPV) revealed plans to upgrade its capabilities for monitoring the transportation of livestock in and out of the province by developing a specialized application in partnership with Batangas State University (BSU).
Krisel Ragas, Veterinarian IV at OPV, told the Philippine News Agency in an interview Monday that the proposal, called the Batangas Animal Movement Reporting Approach to Control Diseases (BARACO), will unify the processing of permits for moving poultry and cattle from cities and municipalities of the province.
"Through BARACO, it will be formalized with just one process. There will also be transparency because what we see in the province will be also seen at the city/municipal level,” Ragas said.
The OPV presented the BARACO in the livestock hauler’s meeting held last week where it reminded that the business and occupation are related to the transportation of imported and exported animals and other products.
"Here in this hauler's forum, one of the primary things we discuss is animal welfare which is a big issue during animal transportation. We need to ensure that even though our animals are for food consumption, animal welfare is implemented," Ragas said.
"We will require farmers to register with BARACO to facilitate the processing of veterinary health certificates, and we will also enroll haulers so that it will be easier for them to obtain shipping permits," she added.
The hauler’s meeting was attended by more than 100 participants from Calabarzon, National Capital Region and Northern Luzon, who are getting products from the province.
"The province of Batangas is one of the primary producers of livestock and poultry for the consumption of Calabarzon and Metro Manila, so we value that industry," Ragas said. "We are very grateful for the active cooperation of our stakeholders in our programs, especially in the prevention of diseases."
Ragas also believes the proposal will be very helpful to the livestock industry of the province in combating diseases such as Avian influenza (AI) and African swine fever (ASF).
"When ASF broke out in 2020, we noticed that there were many violations by haulers, so we looked into why the violations were occurring. The usual problem is their lack of information. Hence, another goal of BARACO is to disseminate information more easily to stakeholders,” she said. (PNA)
