Bill to ban carabao slaughtering pushed

MANILA, Philippines - A lawmaker has urged the next Congress to pass a bill prohibiting the illegal  killing of carabaos, which is being used as a substitute for cow’s meat by some unscrupulous traders.

Rep. Mark Llandro Mendoza (4th District, Batangas) said the government should instead promote carabao breeding in the country. “Imposing a stiff penalty against slaughtering of carabaos should be enacted into law,” he said.

The late Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero III introduced the bill in the 15th Congress. It was passed on the 3rd and final reading at the House of Representatives and is now pending at the Senate.

The bill, which seeks to amend Section 6 of the Republic Act 8485, otherwise known as the “Animal Welfare Act of 1998, prescribes the conditions that allow the slaughter of carabao and buffalo.

Mendoza said reinstating the ban on indiscriminate slaughter of the farm animals would enhance the efforts of the government to conserve energy since small farmers are using carabao and buffalo in their farms.

“The reinstatement of the ban will boost the propagation of the carabao and buffalo species known as the working animals. It will likewise result in an increase in milk and meat production,” Mendoza said.

Under the bill, only carabaos and buffalos that are seven years old or over, if male, and 11 years old or over, if female, may be slaughtered upon issuance of the necessary permit by the authorities concerned.

The bill further provides that no slaughter permit shall be issued without a certificate from the provincial or city veterinarian concerned, or their authorized representative, to the effect that the carabao or buffalo to be slaughtered is of the required age and free from any disease.

Furthermore, the slaughter shall be done through “humane” procedures at all times, which means using the most scientific methods available determined and approved by the Committee on Animal Welfare.