‘TWAS the best of times for egg farmers; a “damn good” year, one even said, not realizing idioms mirror life: never count your eggs before they’re hatched.
The year was 2017 and egg farm owners layer raisers in technical parlance saw farm-gate prices at unprecedented levels while demand was exponentially growing.
It was a “damn good” year that has happened only twice in the past two decades, based on historical figures and records. And a proverb’s reverse settled: after good fortune came bad luck.
Unfortunately, a poultry virus reoriented that market year for Filipino egg producers: avian influenza (AI); commonly known as bird flu. Central Luzon became its epicenter.
And the year 2017 became Dickensian: It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
Freedom
The aftermath of the 2017 Central Luzon bird flu outbreak brought an array of lessons and changes in government protocols and farm practices.
It was the first outbreak experienced by the Philippines, which enjoyed decades-long of freedom from the fatal disease while neighboring Southeast Asian countries only watched bird flu ravage their respective poultry sector for 10 years.
The outbreak in 2017 of the highly-pathogenic avian influenza Type-A Subtype-h5n6, or HPAI (A)H5N6, led to the culling of over 200,000 birds to contain and prevent the spread of disease. Nonetheless, the Philippines eventually regained its “free-from-AI” status.
It was a short-lived freedom as three years later, bird flu outbreaks were officially detected again this year: one in a quail farm in Jaen, Nueva Ecija and another in a layer farm in San Luis, Pampanga.
The outbreaks returned with a familiarity: the same AI strain struck an egg farm in San Luis, Pampanga twice; the first being in 2017.
Origins
Dr. Arlyn Asteria V. Vytiaco, the government’s technical spokesperson for AI, told the BusinessMirror there was little to no improvement in the biosecurity of poultry farms in San Luis, Pampanga, the Ground-Zero of the 2017 Central Luzon outbreak.
It did not come as a surprise to Vytiaco that the main reason for such despite the farmers’ experience of bird flu’s potential economic damage three years ago was financial costs.
Vytiaco emphasized that having strong biosecurity measures is key in preventing an outbreak of AI. She reminds poultry farmers to follow what is stipulated under the government’s Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP).
Crafted beginning 2007, the Code of GAHP “sets out the general principles of good practice and minimum requirements in the commercial or backyard rearing or farming of animals for food use.”
The Code of GAHP aims “to ensure that the farming practices of the establishment provide greater confidence in consumers’ expectations that the final products are safe and fit for human consumption, while ensuring health safety and comfort to both the farm workers and the animals, without any degradation to the environment.”
Outbreak
BASED on the government’s initial investigation, the cause of the AI outbreak in the egg farm was the presence of migratory birds. Migratory birds have been considered to be a carrier of the virus. Such was also the case during the 2017 outbreak.
Ducks were also identified as possible carriers of the virus in the area, especially if they were in contact with migratory birds that had the virus, according to Vytiaco.
However, industry sources note that one possible reason on why the layer farm got hit by bird flu was man-made. They suspect that a farm worker who worked in the layer farm was also working in a nearby duck farm.
Based on the government’s AI Protection Program Manual of Procedures, bird flu could be transmitted to other birds due to contaminated “feed, water, cages, equipment, vehicles and clothing.”
Sources said it is possible that the farm worker was the carrier of virus. He may have been in contact with the virus while working at the duck farm and entered the layer farm without any form of sanitation or disinfection.
The outbreak in the San Luis-based egg farm in July resulted in the culling of about 38,000 birds. (See https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/07/30/da-confirms-resurgence-of-bird-flu-in-pampanga-town-egg-farm/)
Document
UNDER the 2019 Code of GAHP for layer, broiler and duck raising, farms should have had a written protocol of biosecurity measures. These measures should have included proper signage within the vicinity.
“Biosecurity procedures should be well implemented to prevent introduction of disease into the farm and/or to control its spread within the farm,” the more than 20-page long document read.
An example of this biosecurity procedure, as provided by the Code, is that the cages of poultry in houses and/or buildings should be protected with a net or mesh to prevent the entry of migratory birds.
The documents also stipulated that free-range chickens and ducks should be put in cages when there are cases of AI outbreaks “to prevent them co-mingling with migratory species.”
Furthermore, the standards clearly stated that farms should have “appropriate and functional lay-out and infrastructure” to ensure effective implementation of biosecurity measures.
This entails the establishment of facilities for changing, washing and shower and for disinfection at entry/exit point of the farm and the building, according to the documents.
The standards also require farm owners to conduct routine testing in qualified laboratories for surveillance and monitoring of notifiable diseases, such as bird flu.
Support
GREGORIO San Diego, a long-time poultry and layer industry leader, recognizes that biosecurity measures are indeed the farm owners’ responsibility. However, San Diego said government interventions are needed in areas that had been struck by bird flu before.
He cited as example: the government could have closely monitored the repopulation of fowls and farm practices in San Luis, Pampanga, to avert the resurgence of outbreaks.
“That is the failure of the Bureau of Animal and Industry. Why did they reallow repopulation of farms in the areas already hit by bird flu despite no improvements in biosecurity? They should have closely monitored those areas,” San Diego, Chairman of Philippine Egg Board Association and United Broiler Raisers Association, told the BusinessMirror.
“That is not anymore a business decision. That is already a security risk. Because bird flu and other animal diseases for that matter are a national threat,” he added.
Enforcement
ECONOMIST Pablito M. Villegas agreed with San Diego that animal disease outbreaks, like bird flu, should be treated as a national security concern as these outbreaks disrupt the country’s food supply.
Villegas proposed that the government establish a program to subsidize the financial costs of small-scale and backyard poultry raisers in building and implementing strong and effective biosecurity measures.
The subsidy, he noted, should be coupled with a proactive surveillance mechanism by the government to detect cases and outbreaks. Doing so may also address underreporting or non-reporting of outbreaks, he added.
“This is a global problem. This is not just in the Philippines. We should follow standards prescribed by the World Organisation for Animal Health. And if there are regulatory gaps between local regulations and international standards then that should be filled by the national government,” Villegas told the BusinessMirror.
“Biosecurity measures are basically a public good since diseases are a threat to national security. And, since these are public goods, these should be funded by the government,” he added.
Nonetheless, Villegas pointed out the need for better coordination with national agencies in curbing and curtailing the entry of smuggled food products that could pose a threat to the farm sector as they may carry diseases.
Compliance
FURTHERMORE, Villegas proposed that biosecurity measures should be part of requirements in securing a business permit from the government. If certain poultry farm applying for a business permit could not show competent biosecurity measures then they should not be allowed to operate, Villegas added.
Villegas also said poultry farm owners, especially commercial level ones, that repeatedly violate rules on biosecurity measures should be shut down to avert other farms, particularly small and back-yard raisers, from being affected.
Nonetheless, Villegas said small-scale poultry raisers must be subsidized since the majority of poultry farms in the country are backyard in size.
“If you are a commercial entity you do not have the right to be subsidized. They should be closed immediately for having lax biosecurity quarantine measures,” he said.
“Biosecurity measures are a public concern and interest. This should be a requirement for commercial poultry farms and be linked up with the regulatory system of the DA,” he added.
However, San Diego said implementing such stiff business requirements would be a nightmare for the government due to lack of manpower.
This could lead to inefficiencies and may be prone to corruption, according to him.
Since veterinary functions have been devolved, Villegas said the local government units (LGUs) should also invest in their biosecurity measures and help poultry raisers to improve their farming practices, especially areas highly dependent on the sector for revenue generation.
Unfurled
IRWIN M. AMBAL, President of the Philippine Egg Board Association (Peba), explained that some practices make the sector vulnerable to disease. He said some poultry growers, like duck raisers, resort to open grazing as the practice reduces operating costs.
However, this practice is also what easily transmits viruses such as AI when ducks co-mingle with migratory birds, as was the case of the outbreaks in San Luis, Pampanga, Ambal added.
He noted that one of the vital biosecurity measures is to ensure that poultry raising, particularly ducks which are considered to be carriers of AI, should not be close to wet lands and marsh lands or areas where migratory birds nest.
He noted that the government could improve on its monitoring and surveillance efforts but as long as there are practices that could be an opening for virus transmission, then outbreaks are bound to happen repeatedly.
“It is really how we could address the issue. Trying to have duck farmers get good genetics, go to more biosecure and good animal husbandry practices,” he told the BusinessMirror. “We have to avoid co-mingling.”
Government investigation indicated that even the 2017 bird flu outbreak could have been spread by ducks in San Luis, Pampanga that have been in contact with the AI-affected migratory birds.
Regulation
AMBAL said the government should have a clear-cut directive or pronouncement disallowing poultry-raising in areas where migratory birds flock to.
He proposed that the government pour in money in relocating poultry farms away from migratory birds’ nests and improving their farm practices, since animal disease outbreaks are of national concern.
Ambal argued that the investments would be worth it since outbreaks would be prevented as these zoonotic and transboundary diseases have the potential to cripple a whole industry, which is a bigger economic concern.
“It is a worthy investment because this is a public health issue and you prevent potential economic damage and a big public health crisis. It would be costlier if you do not do that,” he said.
“Between the two migratory birds and duck farming which one can you control easier?” he added.
Ambal said the government could also consider imposing an off-season poultry-raising during times that migratory birds are in the country. But the government must provide affected poultry farmers with an alternative livelihood while waiting for the resumption of their businesses, he added.
Initiatives
VILLEGAS said one of the ways to help backyard poultry raisers to improve their farming practices and have better profit is by grouping them into clusters or cooperatives.
Through such groups, they would have access to pooled resources and would have better marketing network that lessens the risk of having potential viajeros that are carriers of diseases, he added.
According to Villegas, this would also help in light of the Covid-19 pandemic wherein localized food production has been more important than ever.
“They can now market as a whole and transact with the LGUs. They don’t have to transport for very long at the risk of contracting diseases,” he said.
“And as a group they could easily receive or avail government interventions and programs which would be beneficial to all members, especially smaller ones,” Villegas added.
Ambal said the Peba holds a monthly meeting wherein members are consulted for updates and practices and whether they face challenges that the group could help handle and address.
The Peba also holds constant seminars to remind and enrich members’ knowledge of latest farming practices, particularly how to safeguard their farms from animal diseases, he added.
Ambal said there are a lot of groups and cooperatives of layer producers in Batangas that pool and share resources to ensure that member-farms have efficient biosecurity measures, knowing that a single disease outbreak could lead to an economic disaster.
Batangas alone accounts for a fourth of the country’s annual egg output of about 600,000 metric tons.
Ambal said LGUs should also shoulder and sustain disinfection programs, especially if they have huge poultry industry, to safeguard their area from virus threats.
However, Ambal noted that the government could impose a minimal cleaning or disinfecting fee for trucks that enter areas with required disinfection procedures to make the system sustainable and not too burdensome for the LGUs.
Ambal also agreed that biosecurity measures should be a requirement in registering a business. He added that there should be penal provisions against unscrupulous traders who are aware the animals they transport are ill.
Tack
NO less than Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar told the BusinessMirror that they are crafting a program that would subsidize to a certain extent the needs for backyard poultry raisers in improving their biosecurity measures.
During a roundtable with the BusinessMirror, Dar emphasized that the GHAP is key in preventing animal diseases outbreak, which includes a strong biosecurity protocol in every farm.
He disclosed that clustering farmers is also the way forward in reducing the financial burden of complying with the country’s biosecurity standards.
“[The] GAHP must be followed by the farmers. We need to help them to do cluster farming so they will have common service facilities that would build up their biosecurity measures,” Dar has said.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has issued Administrative Order 27 that outlined the guidelines for its Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) program that seeks to attain “economies of scale, and enable more farmers, fishers and agripreneurs [agriculture entrepreneurs] produce and earn more from their toil.”
“Through the F2C2 program, the Duterte government will be able to efficiently channel assistance such as credit, modern production methods, farm machinery, post-harvest and program facilities, transport and logistics, packaging support, as well as information and communication technologies, to farm and fishery clusters,” the DA said.
Dar said they will also recommend that LGUs invest in quarantine measures to help in protecting the country from animal diseases once the Mandanas law is in effect, since these tasks have been devolved under a local official’s purview.
Yearnings
THE DA chief also highlighted the importance of research in preventing animal disease outbreaks. He pointed out that it is critical in anticipating early enough possible animal outbreaks.
The DA recently invested P6.4 million in a state university research that seeks to provide vital information in developing vaccines against animal diseases such as Africacn Swine Fever (ASF) and bird flu.
The DA has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU) to provide the agri-fishery sector with access to cutting-edge technologies in accurately detecting and effectively addressing emerging animal diseases.
Dar added that the government will put up a P20-billion Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases this year. He said this center aims to utilize all available scientific tools for the early detection and prevention of animal disease outbreaks.
Also, for the first time in history, we will have our first border facility which is the Agricultural Commodity Examination Area (Acea). This will rise at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), according to Dar.
The Acea is one of the key projects of the DA as it seeks to fulfill its role under the Food Safety law. The project seeks to curtail the entry of any diseases that may farm the country’s agriculture sector.
And, hopefully, these moves would lead poultry growers back on the path to “damn good” years.
Image credits: Skypixel | Dreamstime.com