DA to operate Batangas slaughterhouse

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture is set to open in November the first government owned-AAA slaughterhouse in Batangas.

The P187-million facility in Tanauan City will begin operations in November and will be expanded to include an additional cold storage and cutting facility.

It is jointly funded by the DA and the local government of Batangas.

Slaughterhouses are classified into three classes: A, AA, AAA.

AAA slaughterhouses are abattoirs with proper facilities for export production, while A and AA slaughterhouses are equipped to serve the domestic market.

A-rated abattoirs have a lesser production capacity than AA-rated ones.

AAA slaughterhouses are equipped with required facilities, including a meat laboratory and cold storage facilities that are compliant with international standards, so their meat products could be sold and exported to other countries if the Philippines has no incidence of animal diseases.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the slaughterhouse would help propel the modernization of the livestock industry in Batangas and subsequently provide a sustained livelihood, source of income, and affordable and safe meat products to the province and neighboring communities, including Metro Manila.

The AAA hog slaughterhouse has a floor area of 2,588 square meters, composed of a mechanized system that can process 500 head of hogs per eight-hour shift.

It is equipped with a cold chain network consisting of three chilling rooms, two blast freezers, and three cold storage rooms. Also, it has a meat laboratory and wastewater treatment area.

The facility will be managed by the Unified Batangas Swine Producers Association (UniBat). It will collect fees to sustain its operation and maintenance.

Further, the DA has allotted an additional P50 million to expand the facility by integrating it with a cutting plant.

Another P50 million will be spent for a cold storage and poultry cutting facility in San Jose in Batangas.

“With these poultry dressing and cutting facilities, we will be a step closer to producing mechanically-deboned meat, and thus reduce imports. It would also allow for a value-added enterprise for the benefit of poultry farmers in Batangas and neighboring provinces,” Dar said.