Pilmico funds new initiatives in swine business

MANILA, Philippines — Pilmico Foods Corp., the food unit of the Aboitiz group, is investing in new initiatives to improve its swine raising business as it aims to contribute to the future security of the livestock industry.

In a statement, Pilmico said it continues to invest in initiatives such as increasing sow capacity, heightened biosecurity, farm zoning, and introducing efficiencies in the pork supply chain.

The company said that the new initiatives aim to encourage long-term growth and help secure the future of the livestock industry in collaboration with key stakeholders.

“Pilmico’s long-term business success is anchored on our ability to help our stakeholders – build partnerships, support them in their entrepreneurial endeavors, and see to it that they grow their businesses over the long term. We are also committed to working with the government, the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), and our fellow meat producers to ensure the longstanding success of the agribusiness sector in the Philippines,” Pilmico Food Group president and CEO Tristan Aboitiz said.

The food company said it continues to expand its swine herd in the wake of the African Swine Fever (ASF) and is looking to further modernize the processing of pork with its operation of Tarlac Meatmasters, its triple-A slaughter and meat cutting facility in Bamban, Tarlac.

The said facility opened last year and now serves as an accessible and innovative slaughter and meat cutting facility for local meat producers.

“As a robust support system to the pork supply chain, the facility brings world-class processes, innovative technology and solutions, and the highest standards of food safety and traceability to produce uncompromised quality pork meat cuts,” Aboitiz said.

“We are looking forward to working with other raisers in the industry and give them access to a facility that will help maximize their recovery and profit,” he said.

With a daily slaughtering capacity of 1,500 heads of hogs, the facility is equipped with the newest state-of-the-art technology which includes a meats management system that gives performance information and traceability of the pigs from “farm to fork.”

Apart from the strict enforcement of biosecurity protocols in all Pilmico facilities, the company stressed that all its meat products pass through the National Meat Inspection Services-accredited meat processing facilities, while transported live pigs have the required permits from BAI and Provincial Veterinary Offices.

In addition to Tarlac Meatmasters, Pilmico has implemented its #M3Time campaign, which focuses on disease prevention and health accountability, underlining the importance of biosecurity in the food industry and streamlining it into three points: Maglinis, Magtanong, Manigurado.

“This raises awareness among local backyard farmers to help protect their livelihood,” Pilmico said.

Under the campaign, local farmers receive the #M3Time checklist, a 10-step guide to ensure strict implementation of biosecurity in backyard farms. Pilmico technical experts, veterinarians, and specialists guide them through the checklist by giving advice and helping them complete the steps.

These include limiting movement of people across sites; establishing decontamination areas for people, materials, and vehicles; setting up centralized transfer stations for hogs to limit exposure; and prohibiting entry of cooked or uncooked pork products in the facilities, among others.

Pilmico said its #M3Time conducts house-to-house and farm visits to raise awareness and consciousness for better biosecurity systems before the nationwide quarantine was announced.

It emphasized that the campaign continues today through various online initiatives.