By Mary Grace Padin
THE Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said on Friday it will launch a program that aims to stop the illegal trade of dogs and its meat for human consumption.
The BAI, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), said the National Action Plan to Eliminate the Trade of Dogs for Human Consumption (Napoa) will be rolled out on September 30 as part of the celebration of the Animal Welfare Week.
The World Rabies Day and Animal Welfare Kick-Off celebration will be held on September 28 in Quezon City. This year’s theme is “End Rabies Together” and “Animal Welfare: Our Commitment, Our Responsibility.”
The BAI said the activity seeks to highlight the importance of collaborative efforts in eliminating rabies, promoting animal welfare and preventing animal cruelty in the Philippines. It also aims to increase public awareness on the importance of vaccinating dogs against rabies.
To halt the illegal trade of dogs and dog meat, the BAI will implement Napoa in partnership with the National Meat Inspection Service, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Animal Kingdom Inc.
BAI Acting Director Rubina O. Cresencio said Napoa is a product of consultations and deliberation with various stakeholders to ensure full cooperation among various local government units, national agencies and the Philippine National Police. It was approved by the DA Committee on Animal Welfare for endorsement to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala.
According to Cresencio, the signing of the Napoa will lay down the framework and actions the concerned agencies and non-governmental organization will undertake to promote information and education, including arrest and apprehension of violators in order to stop the “inhumane” trade and distribution of dog and its meat for human consumption.
The program will also highlight the health risks posed by the country’s dog-meat trade, such as the possible spread of rabies, putting more dogs and humans at risk.
The BAI said Napoa will set out seven key strategies that will strengthen the existing programs on the elimination of dog-meat trade.
These include policy advocacy and education awareness; capacity-building for relevant institutions and groups; expanding control measures in concentrated regions where dog-meat trading proliferates; and “speedy and quality” disposition of dog meat trade cases.
Cresencio said Napoa’s implementation aims to help the country become known as an animal-welfare-friendly country and dog-meat trade-free by 2016.